The Ohio State football program has upped its NIL efforts in the last couple of years. Rosters have increased in cost since NIL has become more of a part of the game. Ryan Day doesn't want his program to get left behind, so he has gotten his athletic department to help him out.
Even so, Day prefers to spend the money on his current roster. He rarely uses a boatload of NIL cash on high school recruits. One of the few exceptions seems to be David Gabriel Georges. He is the best running back recruit in the country, and he is someone the Buckeyes have been pursuing hard.
Right now, it looks like the Ohio State Buckeyes have him wrapped up. The other program that is really in the running for him is Tennessee. The owner of the Cleveland Browns doesn't seem to want the Buckeyes to land him because he just gave Tennessee a boatload of money.
Jimmy Haslam's gift could have ramifications for the Ohio State football program
Tennessee announced a massive $130 million donation from the Haslams. Most of that money will be used for academic purposes and recruiting faculty to the university. That part is all well and good, but there will still be some money left over. If that money makes its way to the football program, that could be a problem.
The one thing that could sway Gabriel Georges away from the Buckeyes at this point is a massive NIL promise. Money changes people, and a huge bag thrown at him could make him switch his allegiances. That is something that should worry Ohio State.
If all of this money stays on the academic side of the university, then the Buckeyes have nothing to worry about. It would be odd if the Haslams earmarked some of this money for the football program. They own two professional sports teams in the state.
Ohio State feels confident in its recruiting approach
Despite how other programs are running their recruiting operation, the Buckeyes feel great about their recruiting approach. Day is confident in building the roster mainly through high school talent, and then supplementing holes in the Transfer Portal after the season.
Bringing in Gabriel Georges would be great for the future of the team. He's an elite talent who would give Ohio State a dynamite weapon in the running game. However, losing him to the Vols would certainly hurt. It would also force them to shift their recruiting philosophy for the rest of the year at the running back spot.
The Buckeyes have an eventful month of June coming up when it comes to recruiting. They have several official visits scheduled in the weekends of June, so they should be adding some commitments soon. Fans should start to see that happening as soon as next weekend.
This is a good month for Ohio State to do a lot of its recruiting for the 2027 class. They have a really good chance to move into the top five of the recruiting rankings by the time the month ends.
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