The Ohio State Buckeyes aren't operating under the same financial restraints that other programs are, but even OSU may have a limit when it comes to winning a high-priced recruiting battle for a high schooler.
Bucknuts' Steve Helwagen believes Ohio State could have a cut-off price that it's willing to pay for 5-star Baylor (TN) running back David Gabriel Georges. Helwagen suggested that the Tennessee Volunteers, by way of having a recruiting class outside the top 30 with just six blue-chip recruits and zero 5-stars yet, could be more willing to break the bank for DGG.
"Ohio State has a roster of highly paid players. To get a freshman with this type of price tag, it might upset the pay structure for the Ohio State program. I guess they survived something similar with Jeremiah Smith in 2024, so there is a precedent there," Helwagen wrote. "Tennessee does not have nearly as many big-ticket players, you would think. It might be easier for them to make an exception and pay him big money.
"So Ohio State has to decide whether it wants to risk a revolt and pay the big price tag for a freshman RB as good as DGG or cut it off at a certain dollar amount, and if that's not good enough, then it's not good enough."
Not only do the Buckeyes have a more expensive 2027 class than the Vols, but OSU already has a roster that costs almost $10 million more for the 2026 season. Exact figures are unknown, but the Buckeyes spend more than Tennessee on nearly everything. The Vols' recruiting budget is high, but that hasn't directly translated to strong wins on the trail.
Josh Heupel needs DGG more than Ryan Day does
Let's call a spade a spade. Josh Heupel badly needs momentum for his program, and keeping DGG away from the Scarlet and Gray would be the kind of moral victory on Rocky Top that the team may struggle to provide Big Orange during the 2026 season.
Tennessee needs to figure out who its quarterback is, but even then, the Vols have landmines on the schedule that include the Texas Longhorns, Texas A&M Aggies, and LSU Tigers that could prevent a CFP appearance. If Heupel can't bring Tennessee meaningful postseason football, the least he could do is provide the promise of the CFP in the future with a guy like Gabriel Georges.
DGG has said money won't be the deciding factor in his recruitment. Still, if the Vols offer the most money, a hometown angle, and the chance to be one of the only featured options offensively, it'd be hard to pass that up.
Ohio State already has Legend Bey and Bo Jackson, among others, in a crowded room. Those backs will need their touches. Bringing on Gabriel Georges could catapult the Buckeyes to the next level, but it may be deflating for some of those backs heading into a 2026 season OSU has a realistic chance to become the champs of by January.
Maybe Heupel needs this bone thrown his way so his tenure could be prolonged in Knoxville. It's not like Ryan Day, Carlos Locklyn, and Co. won't be all over the next 5-star RB, anyway.
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