Thursday night’s Baylor School-Brentwood Academy matchup in Chattanooga is more than just a high school football game. For Tennessee fans, it’s a live look at three of the biggest names in the program’s 2027 recruiting haul.
The game kicks off August 20 at 8 p.m. ET and will air nationally on ESPN2, putting a spotlight on a showdown that features five-star running back David Gabriel Georges for Baylor School and Brentwood Academy standouts Kesean Bowman and Kenneth Simon II.
Gabriel Georges is the headliner. The Baylor School back is Tennessee’s highest-rated commit in the cycle so far, and he arrives with the kind of profile that makes him impossible to ignore.
According to 247 Composite, he’s the No. 10 player in the class, the No. 2 running back and the top player in Tennessee. He was born in Quebec but now lives in Chattanooga, where he plays his high school ball.
Brentwood Academy brings its own pair of blue-chip commits to the stage. Bowman, a four-star wide receiver, has been pledged to Tennessee since March. ESPN ranks him as the No. 38 player in the class, while 247 lists him as the No. 9 receiver and the No. 3 player in the state.
Simon adds another layer to the matchup. The four-star linebacker is ranked No. 143 in the class by 247, along with being the No. 9 linebacker and No. 6 player in Tennessee. He’s also the son of Kevin Simon, who played linebacker at UT in the early 2000s.
Between Gabriel Georges, Bowman and Simon, Tennessee fans get a pretty strong preseason preview of what’s coming next. All three are ranked inside the top 150 in the 2027 cycle, and each is viewed as a player who could make a real impact for UT down the road, potentially as soon as next year.
Tennessee’s class currently includes 19 commitments, which puts it at No. 22 nationally on 247. More names could still be added before signing day in December.
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