June brought the usual flurry of commitments across college football, but the other side of modern recruiting was on full display too: the money. And among the 2027 class, one name keeps rising to the top of that conversation - David Gabriel Georges.
The near-consensus five-star running back, ranked No. 2 nationally at his position, has been identified by On3 Sports as the most valuable expected payday among the sport’s highest-paid recruits in the cycle. If the projections hold, Georges could become college football recruiting and NIL’s first $1 million running back.
“The $1 million range, shy of $2 million,” was how an industry source with knowledge of Georges’ recruitment put it to On3 Sports insider Pete Nakos.
That kind of number would almost certainly be tied to a multi-year deal, giving the top back in the 2027 class the long-term security he’s apparently seeking early in the process. For now, his current On3 NIL valuation is listed at $452,000, but that figure is expected to climb fast once he locks in with a major program.
Ohio State appears to be setting the pace right now. The Buckeyes’ track record with offensive skill players has helped them stand out, and Georges has already built a relationship with running backs coach Carlos Locklyn. Locklyn has even met with Georges’ family in Quebec, and Georges has made multiple trips to Columbus, including one late last month, to get a closer look at the program and the people around it.
The race had looked crowded earlier, with Ole Miss and Georgia both in the mix. But that picture has shifted. Insiders now believe the Rebels have slipped back some, and Georges recently backed off a planned visit to Georgia while saying he wanted to focus on “other schools that fit what I’m looking for,” in his words.
That leaves Tennessee as the other major challenger to Ohio State. Georges, a varsity star at Baylor School in Chattanooga, recently earned Tennessee Mr. Football Honors and has a close connection with Vols running backs coach De’Rail Sims.
The hype around Georges matches the tape. He’s viewed as a rare blend of explosiveness, raw power, elite burst and a punishing running style that makes him a tough finish for defenders. The Canada native is the consensus No. 2 running back in the country based on an industry weighted average of national recruiting expert opinion.
And if the projections are right, he may wind up not just as one of the most coveted backs in the class, but the best paid too.
In Other News...
Ole Miss Just Lost Another In-State Battle That Fans Wont Ignore
Ole Miss spent part of this cycle trying to keep another elite in-state prospect from getting away, and the Rebels had reason to believe they had a real shot when the conversation turned to Caden Moss. The four-star offensive lineman from Jackson, Mississippi, has been one of the more closely watched names in the 2027 class, and his decision carried the kind of weight that always lands differently when the player is from home.
For Ole Miss, the miss is a reminder that recruiting battles in Mississippi rarely stay simple, even when the Rebels have already built some momentum up front. They do have four-star offensive linemen Antonio Berry and Antonio Keefer committed for 2027, but Moss would have been a major addition to that group and another sign that the staff could keep top local talent from drifting elsewhere. Instead, the Rebels are left to regroup in a race where every in-state swing still matters. [Read more 🡒]
Ole Miss May Finally Have The Defense To Change Everything
Pete Goldings arrival has already changed the feel around Ole Miss, and the defense he helped shape in his second year as coordinator showed it in 2024. The Rebels were noticeably sturdier on that side of the ball, with the kind of improvement in scoring defense, total defense and run defense that can alter how a team is built and how it is viewed going into a season.
Now the next step is about keeping that momentum while adding more pieces through the transfer portal. Ole Miss has brought in help at linebacker and in the secondary, and with five starters back, the unit has a chance to offer the balance the program has been chasing. If that holds, the Rebels may have a defense capable of making the rest of the roster look a lot more dangerous. [Read more 🡒]