Miami insider gives concerning update on 5-star Ohio State football commit DJ Jacobs

Always be 'crootin'. Just because a player commits to play for your school does not mean he will end up doing so. In the wonderful world of NIL, this is what college head coaches signed up for. You have to constantly your recruit players, especially the ones who still have months to go before they end up on your campus. It is exactly the case with Ohio State trying to hold off Miami regarding DJ Jacobs.

Here is the latest intel from On3's EJ Holland when it comes to Jacobs' ongoing 2027 recruitment.

"Miami is definitely a factor here. The Hurricanes are pushing hard for a flip. And if you remember, DJ was considered a Miami lean earlier in the cycle before Ohio State came in in the 11th hour and got a commitment from him."

Holland mentioned Jacobs going to Miami last weekend, as well as the allure of his younger brother.

"But this one is far from over. He spent multiple days on campus. He was at practice on Thursday. He was at the pool party on Saturday. Also took in practice that day. I think I have seen some Ohio State folks say, 'Well, you know, it's about his brother!' Because his younger brother is a Rivals300 defensive lineman in the 2028 recruiting class."

Holland finished by saying Jacobs going to Miami last weekend surely implies that he is interested.

"Even though Miami is recruiting Dawson, I think a lot of this obviously had to do with DJ. You don't go for three days in Miami's biggest recruiting event if you're not interested. I had a chance to obviously be on campus. I saw DJ hanging out with some of the fellow recruits at the pool party. A lot of the staff members. It gave Miami a real chance to get around him, get around his family. Like I said, I think Miami is a true factor here. Will they flip DJ Jacobs, I'm not sure."

Jacobs has been committed to Ohio State out of Blessed Trinity in Metro Atlanta since December.

According to the 247Sports Composite, Jacobs is the No. 1 player from Georgia, the No. 1 edge rusher in the country, and the No. 4 overall recruit in the 2027 recruiting class. The Roswell native is the son of David Jacobs, who played at Georgia from 1999 to 2002. His brother Dawson Jacobs is a top-100 recruit in the 2028 recruiting cycle along the defensive line. Could they be a package deal?

Other teams such as Alabama, Georgia, LSU, Texas, and Tennessee have all had interest in him, too.

Ohio State must hold off Miami when it comes to DJ Jacobs' commitment

Although there are other programs of note who recruit at Miami and Ohio State's level, this is starting to become a bit of an arms race with these two traditional powers. Ohio State is the only program in college football history that has never been bad before. Miami had a rough start to this century, but has really made some serious headway under the guidance of one of their own in Mario Cristobal.

And that right there might actually play a huge part in it. Cristobal played at Miami, is from Miami, and is winning at Miami. His recruiting pitch is one of authenticity. As for what Ryan Day has to do, he has to continuously put it out there that Ohio State is the preeminent program in the sport of college football. The big question is if he has the right set of coordinators to make sure they can stand out.

Ohio State's two coordinators of note have obvious NFL backgrounds in Matt Patricia and Arthur Smith. While they are not exactly the most enthusiast recruiters, they can make it work. As for Miami, Cristobal still has Shannon Dawson and Corey Hetherman for at least one more year. One would have to believe either of them will be getting their first shot at being a college head coach next offseason.

Ultimately, when you recruit a player like Jacobs, he comes to your school in the hopes he can be developed into a champion before he heads off to the NFL. Ohio State and Miami can most certainly do that. What is interesting here with regards to Holland's intel on his recruitment is this may be an ongoing thing for both parties. Until Jacobs signs his national letter of intent, this is so far from over...

Jacobs is still committed to Ohio State, but the threat of Miami being out there is a fairly tangible one.