Tennessee is back in the thick of a high-end recruiting fight, and this one has all the ingredients of a long grind. The Volunteers are pushing hard for elite 2027 EDGE rusher David “D.J.” Jacobs, an Ohio State commit since last December, and they’re not treating his pledge like something set in stone.
Josh Heupel’s staff has made clear it wants to keep pressing here. Tennessee already has a couple of things working in its favor: Jacobs’ family is in Roswell, GA, and there’s a staff tie to his father’s playing days. Still, the missing piece is the one that usually matters most - what Tennessee looks like on the field this season.
Rivals’ Steve Wiltfong called that part “pivotal” if the Vols want a real shot at turning this into a flip.
“Tennessee is a team that is exciting going into the season,” Wiltfong said. “What kind of season are they going to have?
We know the Buckeyes, their track record of success, what they do for their players off the field, as well. They didn’t land this commitment by accident.
They check a lot of boxes. And so I think that Tennessee’s performance on the field this year is pivotal as they try and make a push here for David Jacobs moving forward.”
The Vols are entering the year with a new defensive coordinator in Jim Knowles and a new defensive scheme, with the hope that both changes help clean up last season’s defensive issues and give the program a stronger pitch going forward. Even with that change, Tennessee kept defensive line coach Rodney Garner in place, and that could matter plenty in this chase.
“Jacobs’ father played for Rodney Garner at Georgia; he’s like a second father to him,” Wiltfong said. “And the trust that he’s the caliber of coach that gets the best out of his players for decades. I mean, he is among the creme de la creme defensive line coaches in America.”
Jacobs’ profile is as big as the recruiting battle around him. Rivals’ Industry Rankings have him at No. 3 overall, the No.
1 EDGE rusher, and the No. 2 player in Georgia. ESPN has him as high as No. 2 in the class, while 247Sports has him atop its 2027 board.
However you sort it out, he’s one of the most prized prospects in the cycle.
Wiltfong also pointed to Tennessee’s fan base, the pull of being close to home, and the resources the program can offer as part of the appeal.
“Obviously, Tennessee’s fan base, proximity to home, the resources that they have in place for their players- it’s an attractive place when you combine all of that,” Wiltfong said.
There’s also another wrinkle: Wiltfong said he expects Jacobs to be in Neyland Stadium this year when Tennessee hosts four-star 2028 defensive lineman Dawson Jacobs, D.J.’s younger brother. At the same time, D.J.
Jacobs is still focused on getting back to Columbus this fall to keep building his Ohio State relationships. Even so, Wiltfong said the family “has not shut the door on other programs or where this process could take them from now until the early signing period in December.”
Tennessee has already shown it can win these kinds of fights. In the 2026 class, the Vols flipped five-star wide receiver T.K.
Keys away from LSU, and Keys is now on campus competing for a role as a freshman. Tennessee also just went toe-to-toe with Ohio State this summer over five-star 2027 running back David Gabriel Georges and won that battle to keep the in-state prospect home.
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Vols Just Landed A Recruit Ohio State Fans Wanted Badly
Tennessees recruiting momentum got a major boost with the commitment of five-star running back David Gabriel-Georges, a prized 2027 prospect who had been one of the more closely watched names in a competitive race. The Baylor School standout, who plays in Chattanooga, already made a loud first impression this fall with three touchdowns and 261 yards of total offense in his senior debut, and his profile has only grown as the recruiting spotlight has intensified.
Gabriel-Georges arrives with plenty of national buzz, including a ranking from ESPN as the No. 2 running back in his class and praise from Texas quarterback Arch Manning. For Tennessee, landing him means fending off a serious push from Ohio State and keeping one of the top in-state talents close to home, a win that should resonate well beyond this recruiting cycle. [Read more 🡒]
Tennessee's Backfield Is Creating Buzz Heupel Rarely Gives
Josh Heupel does not usually hand out that kind of praise lightly, which is why his comments about Tennessees 2026 running back room stood out. The Vols are bringing back DeSean Bishop after a 1,000-yard season, and he now has a deeper supporting cast around him with sophomores Daune Morris and Justin Baker, plus Tulane transfer Javin Gordon joining the mix.
Heupel said the groups offseason growth has been evident, and their work in preseason camp has only added to the optimism. For a coach who tends to keep the focus on the next practice rather than the next big projection, the idea that this backfield could be the best he has had at Tennessee is a notable benchmark, especially with more of the season still ahead. [Read more 🡒]
Tennessee Just Lost A New Frontcourt Piece Before The Season
Jalen Washington had looked like a useful frontcourt addition for Tennessee after transferring in from Vanderbilt, bringing a track record that suggested he could give the Volunteers some dependable minutes inside. He averaged 8.9 points and 5.6 rebounds in his previous season, and the expectation around Knoxville was that he would settle in as a rotational piece for a team trying to deepen its frontcourt before the year began.
Instead, Washington is currently unable to play because of a legal dispute involving the NCAA and a temporary injunction, and the latest court ruling only tightened the uncertainty. A Tennessee court granted an extraordinary appeal and stayed the trial court order that had allowed him to suit up, leaving his status for the upcoming season in serious doubt and stripping the Volunteers of one of their newest interior options before he ever took the floor. [Read more 🡒]