There's a recruiting triangle going on so to speak, and 5-star Ohio State commit DJ Jacobs is the focus of things. While some Tennessee fans may not be overly familiar with the elite pass-rusher, Josh Heupel sure is, as the UT coach is working overtime in trying to steal him away from Ryan Day and the Buckeyes.
The same can be said for Miami and Mario Cristobal, as countless Canes supporters originally thought the playmaker, ranked the No. 1 EDGE in the country, would pick The U in the first place. That didn't happen, and while Jacobs remains 'locked in' with Ohio State, nothing is going to be finalized until the Early Signing Period gets here in December.
With that, the door remains fully open for others to keep recruiting the Blessed Trinity Catholic (Georgia) talent, and Tennessee has certainly made Jacobs a top priority. On3's Steve Wiltfong just confirmed that once again, stating that the Vols are keeping in close contact. Not only that, but Wiltfong revealed that Jacobs' dad said that this recruitment process isn't quite over despite Ohio State landing a commitment.
"Tennessees performance on the field this year is pivotal as they make a push to flip David DJ Jacobs"@SWiltfong_ says the 5-star Ohio State commitment has not shut the door on the Vols 🍊
— Josh Newberg (@josh_newberg) August 25, 2026
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5-star Ohio State commit DJ Jacobs remains a top target for Tennessee and Josh Heupel
Wiltfong went on to add that he thinks Jacobs and his family will potentially make their way to Neyland Stadium for a game this fall. Should that happen, it would really get the flip rumors buzzing. And for the Vols to have a serious chance to pull this off, defensive line coach Rodney Garner is of course going to have a major say in things, as he coached up Jacobs' dad while still at Georgia.
"They're shooting their shot with David 'DJ' Jacobs," Wiltfong said. "Jacobs' father played for Coach Garner at Georgia - he's like a second father to him, and there's the trust that he's the caliber of coach to get the best of his players for decades. He is among the creme de la creme defensive line coaches in America. Obviously Tennessee's fanbase, the proximity to home, the resources that they have in place for their players, it's an attractive place when you combine all of that."
Why does this all matter for Miami, too? Well, because although the Canes have several 5-star commits on board, and are essentially done with '27 recruiting, Cristobal is still being aggressive in going after Jacobs. If he wants to play for Miami, the Canes and Cristobal will make it work no matter what it takes.
That's all great, but the Vols are the ones on the outside looking in who appear to be giving Jacobs the most to think about. Wiltfong added that he does expect Jacobs to take multiple trips to Columbus to meet with Day and his staff, but it sure is going to be telling if Tennessee gets a gameday visit in the coming months too.
Soon enough, November/December will get here and we'll all have a much better idea of where the 6-5, 240-pounder is going to be playing his college ball. At this point, Ohio State still holds his verbal pledge, but Tennessee seems to have the best chance to record a recruiting shocker. That's great news for Heupel, but plenty of signs are pointing to Cristobal being humbled a bit here with his chase for the youngster.
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