Tennessee gains momentum as Georgia drops out of David Gabriel Georges race

In the Josh Heupel era, he has made in-state recruiting the lifeblood of the program, with the roster filled with players from Tennessee. But during his tenure, there may not have been a bigger in-state target than David Gabriel Georges. The five-star running back comes by way of Baylor School, a program Tennessee has always pulled talent from, including five-star tackle Gabriel Osenda in the 2026 cycle.

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It has long been known that Josh Heupel and Ryan Day are battling it out for Gabriel Georges, with Georgia and Ole Miss lingering in the background for his commitment. However, per Hayes Fawcett, the Georgia visit is now off this weekend, and it has become a three-team race. But we all know it will ultimately come down to Tennessee or Ohio State.

Georgia has now exited the David Gabriel Georges sweepstakes

This is a major development, even though Tennessee was widely believed to be ahead. Georgia still has a strong track record at running back with Nick Chubb, James Cook, and D’Andre Swift among others. Plus, they have Kemon Spell committed, who is ranked just a bit higher than David Gabriel Georges, but they are considered the same tier of prospects. What also made the Bulldogs a potential threat is how aggressive they are with its NIL efforts, so not even getting the opportunity to host Gabriel Georges is a big win for Tennessee.

Now Heupel has to focus on taking down Ohio State and Ole Miss. Given that there wasn’t much buzz after the Oxford visit this past weekend, it’s probably safe to assume that Ole Miss is on the outside looking in.

As of right now, July 22 is the scheduled commitment date for David Gabriel Georges. There has been no indication that he will move that up, even after canceling the Georgia visit. It also sounds like he will take this weekend off and not take a visit anywhere, even with the open slot this weekend.

With 30 days left in this recruitment, Heupel and running backs coach De’Rail Sims need to throw the kitchen sink at Gabriel Georges. Every possible NIL dollar should be on the table, he’s that good. He checks every box and would be a day-one starter for Tennessee, especially since current running back DeSean Bishop is likely headed to the NFL in 2027.

Bringing more Tennessee legends into his recruitment wouldn’t hurt at all. Alvin Kamara was with David Gabriel Georges during his official visit, and he really seemed to enjoy it. It would be great to see Peyton Manning or other Vols in the NFL reach out before he announces. Every little thing can help Tennessee try to close the deal, and put them over the finish line.

With such a talented player like David Gabriel Georges, when the decision inevitably comes, one fanbase is going to be completely crushed. If it’s Tennessee, it will still hurt to lose him, but if they can pull this off, Heupel and the staff would have a potential game-changer on their hands.

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