5-star David Jacobs' visit is Tennessee's last best shot to flip the Ohio State commit

No. 14 Tennessee hosting No. 1 Texas just got way more intriguing. That is because 5-star Ohio State EDGE commit David Jacobs will be making the trip over with his younger brother Dawson, a 4-star UT target for 2028, and the rest of his family. Could this visit to Knoxville help Josh Heupel and Rodney Garner pull off a major flip?

That is what the fanbase is hoping for, but there is a massive uphill climb on the way for the Vols to get this recruiting stunner done.

According to On3's Steve Wiltfong, Jacobs, per his father, has informed Heupel and Garner that while the stud pass-rusher will be in Knoxville for the dance with Texas, he remains absolutely locked in with Ohio State. Still, Tennessee will not go down without a fight and is ready to keep shooting its shot.

5-star David Jacobs visiting Tennessee this weekend does not mean Ohio State is close to losing him

Could this end up being similar to what just happened in Athens? A lot was made when Jacobs and his little brother visited Georgia for the second game of the season, but then reports surfaced stating that Georgia does not actually have a serious shot to flip Jacobs.

This is something Tennessee and Heupel want to avoid as well, though Garner is the secret weapon moving forward. Garner coached Jacobs' dad at Georgia and the relationship between the two has remained strong ever since. Due to that, the Tennessee staff continues to not only push hard, but also believe the Vols have a serious shot to sign the 6-foot-5, 240-pounder once December gets here.

And in terms of rolling out the red carpet for him, there is no better weekend than what is in front of the program. College GameDay will be in town for the Week 4 dance with Texas, with the energy in town about to be off the charts. Then, Tennessee will be ready to (hopefully) shock the world and take down the top-ranked team in the country.

Imagine if that ends up happening. Not only will Jacobs, the No. 1 pass-rusher for the 2027 class, be left favorably impressed with the game day environment around campus, but Heupel can also sell him on being part of Jim Knowles' defense for years to come after watching the Vols humble the Longhorns. If all goes perfectly for Heupel's group on Saturday, it is going to be hard for Jacobs to not think about a future in SEC country.

For now, Jacobs is Big Ten-bound to play for the Buckeyes. He remains adamant that nothing is going to change his mind about his pledge to Ohio State, but it's telling that Tennessee keeps on swinging to mix things up a bit. This is also a now or never situation for the Vols.

There is going to be no better time than now to turn Jacobs' head, especially with him being on hand for such a blockbuster game. If an upset does get posted, it could make the difference once the Early Signing Period gets here. Jacobs and his family may claim he is 100 percent set on playing for Ohio State, but do not tell that to Heupel - he is not going to pay attention to that and he has got a golden opportunity to win over the elite talent in the coming days.

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