Ohio State and Tennessee may be headed toward a recruiting standoff over 5-star Baylor (TN) running back David Gabriel Georges, and the Buckeyes might be the program willing to walk away if the price gets too high.
Bucknuts’ Steve Helwagen believes Ohio State could draw a line on what it is willing to pay for Gabriel Georges, even with the Buckeyes operating in a different financial tier than most programs. Helwagen pointed to Tennessee as the school more likely to push hard financially for the blue-chip back, especially with the Volunteers sitting outside the top 30 in recruiting, holding just six blue-chip commits and no 5-stars so far.
"Ohio State has a roster of highly paid players. To get a freshman with this type of price tag, it might upset the pay structure for the Ohio State program.
I guess they survived something similar with Jeremiah Smith in 2024, so there is a precedent there," Helwagen wrote. "Tennessee does not have nearly as many big-ticket players, you would think.
It might be easier for them to make an exception and pay him big money.
"So Ohio State has to decide whether it wants to risk a revolt and pay the big price tag for a freshman RB as good as DGG or cut it off at a certain dollar amount, and if that's not good enough, then it's not good enough."
The Buckeyes already have a more expensive 2027 class than Tennessee, and their 2026 roster is said to cost almost $10 million more than the Volunteers’. Exact numbers aren’t known, but Ohio State is spending more than Tennessee across the board, while the Vols’ bigger recruiting budget has not translated into better results on the trail.
From Tennessee’s side, the urgency is obvious. Josh Heupel could use a jolt, and keeping Gabriel Georges away from Ohio State would count as a meaningful win for a program that may not have many of those available in 2026. Tennessee still has to settle its quarterback situation, and its schedule includes Texas, Texas A&M, and LSU - a run that could keep it out of the CFP picture.
That’s why a player like Gabriel Georges matters so much to the Vols. He has said money will not decide his recruitment, but if Tennessee can offer the biggest deal, the hometown appeal, and a path to becoming one of the featured pieces of the offense, that would be a hard package to ignore.
Ohio State, meanwhile, already has depth in the backfield with Legend Bey and Bo Jackson among the names in the room. Adding Gabriel Georges would raise the ceiling again, but it could also squeeze touches in a backfield that already has bodies waiting for work. Still, the Buckeyes are expected to stay in the mix for the next elite running back no matter how this one plays out.
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