In terms of making noise out on the recruiting trail, Josh Heupel and Tennessee are sure doing a lot of it. Fresh off landing 5-star running back David Gabriel Georges, Heupel has reportedly turned his attention to Ohio State commit DJ Jacobs, the No. 1 pass-rusher in the country. This has people both in Knoxville and Columbus talking.
Josh Heupel is working to steal Ohio State's top commit after the David Gabriel Georges win
Larry Johnson has done a great job recruiting Jacobs, but if Tennessee is aggressive enough NIL-wise as it was with Georges, a flip is not out of the question. Jacobs' dad opened the door a bit too for something to get done. While he said Jacobs would be ready to sign with Ohio State if the Early Signing Period was this month, that doesn't mean things are finalized just yet.
Will Jacobs sign with Ohio State?
— Josh Ward (@Josh_Ward) July 28, 2026
His father to On3: "As of today yes but you know how this stuff goes." https://t.co/V5L9qjSuuM
Tennessee is hoping to flip 5-star Ohio State commit DJ Jacobs
The 'you know how this stuff goes' is pretty eye-opening. This tells us that while the 6-5, 240-pounder remains committed to the Buckeyes, this is far from a done deal. If that were the case, the Jacobs clan wouldn't be entertaining other offers from different programs, including from Tennessee and Heupel.
Tennessee, of course, isn't alone in its flip efforts, as Mario Cristobal and Miami are also still in the hunt. Cristobal won't go down without a fight, which is nothing new for him when it comes to trying to steal away top talent from other schools. Heupel would be able to make quite the statement if he does pull off this flip, but it surely won't be easy for him.
Jacobs is the No. 1 prospect in the country per the 247Sports Composite, committing to Ohio State in late December over 38 other offers. He's viewed as a future NFL superstar, but before he makes that jump to the pros, at least three seasons at the college level are in front of him - he's also expected to make an immediate impact as a true freshman.
For now, Jacobs will be making the move to Columbus next year, but Knoxville also might be an option for him. Ryan Day and Johnson are, of course, going to work overtime to prevent that from happening, but maybe this is where Danny White can make a difference too. Georges reportedly received a three-year deal from UT for $6 million, which is a whole lot of dough.
We're not expecting Jacobs to get $2 million per season from the Vols, but if a big-time offer is put on the table that AD Ross Bjork and Ohio State can't match, you've got to figure it'd help the Vols' chances of a flip. That's all a bit up in the air, but Tennessee being in contact is the first step. Getting Jacobs in town for an official visit should be the next priority, but with the season almost here, the timing could be perfect to get him on campus.
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