Ryan Day in a 'slug fest' with Tennessee for 5-star target Ohio State can't lose

Next weekend is when the official visit season really ramps up and every top program in the country will be hosting tons of top targets in hopes of getting commitments before the summer dead period begins. The May 29 weekend is going to be a packed one at Ohio State, but one name immediately stands out — five-star running back David Gabriel Georges. 

Georges has four schools on his final list, with Tennessee, Ole Miss and Georgia joining the Buckeyes. He'll take official visits to all four programs, but all recent updates have signaled that this is an Ohio State-Tennessee battle, and it's one that Ryan Day has to win.

Ohio State will get first official visits from 5-star RB David Gabriel Georges 

Georges isn't just the top running back in the 2027 recruiting class. He might be the best running back prospect we've seen this decade. He has an amazing combination of size and speed you just don't see often from a running back coming straight out of high school. When I convinced a friend of mine to watch Georges highlight tape, he said, "The defense is just out there doing cardio because they've got nothing for him."

Recruiting is what it is these days and there aren't too many true 1-on-1 recruiting battles between schools, because there's always another program willing to throw a bunch of money at a blue-chip player late in the process to create more drama. However, the coaches at both Ohio State and Tennessee have acknowledged that each side is the biggest opposition and Brent Hubbs, the publisher of the Rivals/On3 Tennessee site confirmed that. 

"I think the unknown with him a little bit, too, is one of the two schools. Are they doing a better job with the family and not just the kid?," Hubbs said in the full story on A-to-Z Sports. " He lives on campus (at Baylor School). His family is in Canada. So, how are you doing with his family? Do they have an impact on the decision? Is it all just on him? So, I think you’re just trying to work and swing at every relationship and work everything you can.

Ohio State’s got confidence that they’re dead in the middle of it. They’ve got a great shot to get him. I think Tennessee’s got confidence that they’ve done well with him and have a chance to get him. But it’s going to be a slug fest in recruiting to the finish line for him," Hubbs concluded.

Tennessee has the advantage in location because Chattanooga is much closer to Knoxville than it is to Columbus. But as Hubbs pointed out, Georges is from Canada and the family still lives there. This isn't going to be a recruitment won by location, but rather by comfort. Georges is a great player that can play anywhere and will earn all the playing time he wants. He can demand the top of the market in NIL packages for high school players at his position. All of that is known. Day and Ohio State want to make Georges feel like he's at a place that he can consider home for the next few years. It doesn't hurt that the Buckeyes have already won a championship under Day and are a perennial playoff team that has had running backs selected high in the NFL Draft. 

Georges will go through the process and make a decision on July 22. If this recruitment is truly a slug fest, give the big advantage to the Buckeyes because Day has already proven he can win the big fights. 

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