Five-star edge defender DJ Jacobs remains pledged to Ohio State, but the SEC pull from Tennessee is getting stronger by the day. The top overall recruit in the 2027 class committed to the Buckeyes last December over heavy suitors like Georgia and Miami. Yet as the 2026 season approaches, the Volunteers are mounting an aggressive flip campaign backed by deep family trust and fresh commercial ties.

According to college football recruiting analyst Steve Wiltfong, Tennessee’s biggest advantage is a relationship that goes back decades. Volunteers defensive line coach Rodney Garner had coached DJ Jacobs’ father, David, at Georgia, giving him a personal connection with the family. David has maintained that Garner is “like a dad” to him, making the Volunteers’ pursuit more personal than a typical recruiting pitch.

“People that follow the Wolf on Whiparound know that they’re shooting their shot with David DJ Jacobs,” Wiltfong said on Rivals’ YouTube Channel on August 25. “Jacobs’s father played for Coach Garner at Georgia. He’s like a second father to him. And the trust that he’s the caliber of coach that gets the best out of his players for decades – he is among the crème de la crème defensive line coaches in America.”

Garner’s resume gives Tennessee another strong selling point. During his 14-year-long run at Georgia, he coached 10 All-Americans and 35 NFL Draft picks, including five first-rounders such as Richard Seymour and David Pollack. That track record helped establish Garner as one of college football’s most respected defensive line coaches, giving Tennessee credibility that few programs can match.

“Obviously, Tennessee’s fan base, proximity to home, the resources that they have in place for their players,” Wiltfong said. “It’s an attractive place when you combine all of that. I think that they’ll be inside Neyland Stadium this season for a four-star Dawson Jacobs’s recruitment, the 2028 that we kind of mentioned at the top when we were mentioning Tennessee, the linemen that they’re in the picture for in this 2028 class.”

The Volunteers’ interest in the young edge rusher is also backed by his production. DJ Jacobs recorded 102 tackles, 24 tackles for loss, and 16 sacks in just 11 games during his junior season with the Titans. With that, Jacobs has established himself as an elite pass rusher and the No. 1 overall recruit in the 2027 class, giving Tennessee plenty of reason to push for a flip, according to Joe Spears of USA TODAY High School Sports.

“He’s going to be at Ohio State a few times this season. And recently, talking to his dad, the priority was to get them back up in Columbus, around the players, around the recruits, continue to get comfortable. But they have not shut the door on other programs or where this process could take them from now until the early signing period in December. And Tennessee is one of the programs that they’re watching.”

Despite that, Ohio State remains firmly in the picture. And as for Jacobs, he is expected to return to Columbus for multiple game visits this season. His family has not closed the door entirely on other programs until the December signing period. That leaves Tennessee as one of the programs to watch, but the Volunteers still have a lot to prove to turn their interest in the edge rusher into a solid flip.

Can Tennessee steal five-star DJ Jacobs from Ohio State?

Rivals’ recruitment analyst Steve Wiltfong believes that Tennessee’s close relationship with the Jacobs family, a passionate fan base, and stronger player resources in the program could be factors that DJ Jacobs could consider in flipping from Ohio.

“I certainly don’t think those rumors are coming out of thin air,” Wiltfong said, according to Ryan Sylvia of Rocky Top Insider on July 30. “I think that Tennessee is a program that has entered the mix for David ‘DJ’ Jacobs going into his senior year and look like the biggest threat to Ohio State.”

His younger brother, Dawson Jacobs, a blue-chip 2028 recruit, is also expected to make game-day visits this fall. Dawson has already expressed interest in visiting Neyland Stadium, giving the Volunteers another opportunity to build a relationship with the family.

Tennessee has plenty working in its favor, including Garner’s family connection to the Jacobs family. If the Vols can deliver on the field in 2026, that could give them an even stronger push to recruit DJ Jacobs.