Five-star EDGE rusher D.J. Jacobs is still worth watching as signing day approaches, and Tennessee keeps showing up in the conversation.
Jacobs, the No. 1 prospect in 247Sports’ 2027 recruiting class, has been committed to Ohio State since December 2025. Even so, his recruitment has not gone quiet. This fall, he has continued to look around, and Tennessee has remained one of the teams linked to him for months.
The Vols have a few things working in their favor. Jacobs has family in Roswell, GA, which gives Tennessee a geographic angle, and there’s also a staff connection tied to his father’s playing career. That combination has kept the Vols in the mix even with the Buckeyes holding the verbal pledge.
Brian Smith, host of the Locked On Transfer Portal podcast, recently joined the Locked On (Miami) Canes show and talked about where things stand after Jacobs visited Miami last weekend for the Hurricanes’ 52-23 win over Pittsburgh.
“It’s ironic that we’re talking about this,” Smith said about Jacobs on the show. “I spoke with somebody that’s pretty close to him and his family recently.
And he said Miami was definitely a possibility - this is right before he visited UM. And he said also, watch out for Tennessee.
He said they’re still open to opportunities - And I didn’t know it. This was just offered to me.
Somebody, like, knows that family. And I’m like, okay, if that’s the case, then anything is plausible.”
Smith also said he doesn’t think money is the driving force at this point, calling the offers from the schools involved “insane.” In his view, the pull now may come down to relationships more than anything else.
That lines up with why Tennessee can’t be dismissed. Smith pointed to the way the Vols’ defense has played this season, noting that it’s hard to leave them out of the race. Tennessee’s defensive line coach Rodney Garner also coached Jacobs’ father at Georgia, giving the Vols another connection to lean on.
Tennessee’s on-field rise on defense has only helped its case. Under Jim Knowles, the unit has looked much stronger this year than it did in Tim Banks’ final season in 2025, and the Vols are leading the nation with 35 sacks.
Before the season, On3’s Steve Wiltfong said Tennessee’s play on the field would be “pivotal” in the pursuit of Jacobs. The Vols are not in playoff position right now, but they still have a path to the 12-team field if they finish strong. That kind of late-season surge could matter as they try to close.
Wiltfong also noted that Jacobs was in Knoxville for Tennessee’s game against Texas in September. The Vols didn’t win that night, but the atmosphere at Neyland Stadium was one of the best of the season, and Tennessee turned in one of its strongest defensive showings of the year.
Ohio State still has the edge, and any program with that kind of recruiting machine is going to be hard to beat once it has a commitment in hand. But Jacobs is keeping this one alive, and Tennessee appears firmly in the group still pushing for him. This recruitment feels like one that could go down to the wire.
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