Despite Ryan Day’s historic dominance on the recruiting trail, the recent months haven’t been the best so far. The program had recruited 5-star WR Monshun Sales aggressively, but Big Ten rival Indiana swooped him up at the last minute. Thereafter, standout 4-star CB Monsanna Torbert Jr. chose the team up north. A similar situation was with RB Jayden Miles, as he picked FSU after an official visit to Ohio State. In another blow, OSU lost another 5-star RB talent.

According to reports, the nation’s 2nd-ranked RB, David Gabriel Georges, has narrowed his options down to Ohio State and Tennessee. Now, he announced his commitment to Josh Heupel’s program on the CBS Sports College Football YouTube channel on July 22. He also has a whopping $1 million NIL tag attached to him that Tennessee backed up. But it’s not just the NIL money.

Adidas played a background role in pushing DGG to Tennessee

The $36.3 billion valued sports apparel giant had locked in a 10-year deal with the Knoxville program. The deal is especially important since it comes after Tennessee’s 12-year relationship with Nike. Under its current deal with Adidas, student-athletes from the program’s 20 sports will be eligible for Adidas’ main NIL ambassador initiative. The reunion with Adidas aimed to roll back its longstanding relationship with the German giant, which lasted from 1995 to 2014.

That new deal with Adidas played a major role in DGG’s commitment to the Vols. His Baylor School in Chattanooga has also signed a groundbreaking deal to wear those three stripes on its jerseys. The school released the update earlier in July. It became one of 19 schools eligible for Patrick Mahomes’ Gladiator High School for 2026. That was essentially a part of the school’s multi-year deal with Adidas. But the connection with Adidas went even deeper for DGG.

“Adidas has sweetened the pot (for Gabriel Georges) in a way that I just don’t know how [Ohio State can] combat it,” OSU reporter Jeremy Birmingham reported on 97.1 The Fan. “Ohio State reportedly—or I’ve been told—they asked Nike if they could get involved, and [Nike] said, “We don’t get involved with high school athletes.”

Jean Agenor is DGG’s uncle and oversees most of the 5-star’s recruitment and development. Not just that, he also runs All Athletic. It’s a scouting and visibility service in Quebec that helps Canadian athletes gain US exposure. Interestingly, All Athletic had signed a deal with Adidas, and his uncle posted a photo on Instagram showing those three-striped cleats sitting on the table. That Adidas connection certainly pushed DGG to Tennessee. But it’s not the only factor.

Tennessee has a place for David Gabriel Georges in its roster hierarchy

David Gabriel Georges is as good as they come, and his high school performances show just that. As a junior, he ran for a whopping 1,756 yards, averaging a stellar 11 yards per carry. If that was not enough to prove his worth, he led his team to Tennessee’s Division II-AAA championship. Never mind that his school has also remained unbeaten since 1973, thanks to his heroics on the field. No wonder Tennessee offered something that even many seniors don’t get.

According to reports, DGG will become a starter right away at Tennessee. The program is also offering him the chance to wear that iconic #0 jersey as a true freshman. It was highly unexpected, considering the number is usually reserved for proven upperclassmen leaders and those who have shown relentless, prolific ability. The Knoxville program is clearly seeing everything it could want in a high school RB like David Gabriel Georges.

David Gabriel Georges’ uncle’s statement had already made things lean towards Tennessee

Agenor trained him from a very young age, accompanied him on campus visits, and publicly relayed his thoughts several times. Moreover, since DGG’s uncle is a former player himself, he knows what’s best for him. He constantly moved and relocated in search of better high schools for DGG. He was also pivotal in instilling discipline in DGG. And before the actual announcement, Agenor had made things clear between OSU and Tennessee.

“I know how hungry the Tennessee fan base is,” Agenor said to On3‘s Steve Wiltfong. “I’m not saying he can’t become a legend at Ohio State. I truly believe in my nephew. David will do what he does. He’s the best running back in this class, and it’s not even close. I feel wherever he goes, he’ll be something different, but I feel sometimes when you’re part of a machine yourself, you’re just another great player in that machine. Ohio State doesn’t need David…”

For his uncle, seeing OSU’s relatively dominant recruiting trail and consistent silverware success, UT was the best option. Because OSU can easily get any other recruit, as it lost on DGG. Tennessee, though, doesn’t have that kind of recruiting pull and success story to do that. In all, at Tennessee, at least according to his uncle, DGG could be the focal point and a star. Whereas at Ohio State, he might have gotten buried under the buzz of other greats like Jeremiah Smith and Julian Sayin.