David Gabriel Georges, the No. 2 running back in the nation, will make his commitment decision tomorrow, and conversations regarding his landing spot have just seen another twist. On3 insider Steve Wiltfong flipped his prediction to the Volunteers, joining Chad Simmons and Pete Nakos in favoring Knoxville over Columbus. That flip marks a major swing in the race for Gabriel Georges.

It is still a two-horse race between Ohio State and the Tennessee Volunteers, and the dust will not settle until he announces his decision. However, looks like the Buckeyes are losing ground to the Volunteers as his commitment draws closer.

Steve Wiltfong’s flip comes just after On3’s Pete Nakos also picked the Volunteers to secure DGG’s commitment. The decisions from these analysts in favor of Tennessee are in contradiction with Rivals’ RPM, which gives the Buckeyes a 68.6% chance. 

As far back as early June, Chad Simmons had favored Tennessee in Gabriel Georges’ recruitment. Simmons gave several reasons why Knoxville was the preferred option, citing a better NIL offer and an early playing time at Tennessee.

“I feel even better about that pitch, you know, this weekend coming off the official visit, man. Whether it be about just the fans showing that love with The Rock right there on campus, or him wearing that number zero he covets to wear in college football in the photo shoot, of course. He had family with him on campus.

“David Gabriel Georges, I convinced you to go from Ohio State to the Tennessee side about all my pitches about why he would be a Vol,” recruiting analyst Chad Simmons reported on Rivals. “Everything from what I’ve gathered from DGG himself, others that were there on the visit, to people around the program, it was a grand slam for Tennessee.”

Interestingly, a family member of the athlete also leaned towards the Tennessee Volunteers when he was asked over a month ago. There is the acknowledgement of OSU’s history and tradition; however, the Vols have what it takes to develop him immediately and give him the playing time he needs.

“If you compare Ohio State to Tennessee, Ohio State would remain Ohio State. I feel like if you’re a big-time player, you can go to a team, and they’ll build something around you, and they can have their best three years in history,” said DDG’s uncle, Jean Agenor, to Steve Wiltfong. “Tennessee may not be Ohio State the next 10 to 15 years, but your three years there could be the best years of Tennessee. Tennessee, it’s different.”

Ohio State has poured years into this recruitment. RB coach Carlos Locklyn began pursuing Georges at Oregon and carried that relationship to Columbus. The Buckeyes’ effort has been thorough, but if Georges picks Tennessee, it will be a bitter loss.

Tennessee Likely to Pay Gabriel Georges’ NIL Deal Over OSU

David Gabriel Georges is a five-star recruit, and he will definitely not come cheap. Therefore, he will only commit to the program that can pay up his multi-million dollar deal, a fee the Volunteers are ready to let go for the highly-rated recruit.

“He’s expected to be in the $1 million range, shy of $2 million. It will be a multi-year deal; that’s something the family has talked about,” as per Pete Nakos.

According to Jeremy Birmingham on The Fan 97.1 in Columbus, the Buckeyes have asked their longtime equipment partner, Nike, for some financial help in paying up Gabriel Georges’ NIL deal.

Unfortunately, they were turned down, as Nike does not deal with high school athletes. In that case, it can become a losing race for Ohio to get the No. 2 RB of the 2027 class.