Losing out on David Gabriel Georges was a giant failure for everyone involved with the Ohio State football program. It's pretty clear they shouldn't have spent the better part of two years putting all of their eggs in one basket, no matter how good that player is.
Instead of choosing the Buckeyes, Gabriel Georges ended up picking the Volunteers of Tennessee. However, a recent quote from his camp shows that the Buckeyes will be better off without him, as he was truly never cut out to play in Columbus.
David Gabriel Georges quote shows why Buckeyes are better off not having him
While speaking to Stephen Hargas of The Chattanooga Times Free Press, someone close to Gabriel Georges claims that playing for the Ohio State Buckeyes would feel like a chore to him.
“David loves the game, but at Ohio State, it felt more like football was a chore he had to do, not something he gets to enjoy playing.”
It feels like a chore? The Buckeyes have plenty of players who love playing for the Scarlet and Gray, and none of the players would describe it as a chore. It's a privilege to play for the Buckeyes, and anyone who thinks that it's a chore, instead of fun, doesn't belong on the roster.
Gabriel Georges got paid a lot of money to attend Tennessee. That was clearly a factor, although he continues to deny that the absurd price the Volunteers are paying him was a massive factor. However, getting $2 million a year has to be a big reason he isn't a Buckeye.
Regardless of the reason, Ohio State made a mistake trying to recruit him this hard. Going all-in for a prospect who thought it would be a chore to play in Columbus is a massive mistake when it comes to scouting. This is something Ryan Day, Carlos Locklyn, and the rest of the staff should have figured out.
Ohio State will only take prospects who want to truly be in Columbus
The Buckeyes don't need to beg for players to choose them. They are one of the proudest programs in college football with decades of tradition. They don't need players who don't want to be in Columbus, and Day and his staff will be the first ones to say that.
If Gabriel Georges doesn't want to play in Columbus and be great, that's fine. Ryan Day has said multiple times over the years that being a Buckeye isn't for everyone. That is clearly the case in the recruitment of the five-star running back, but the coaching staff deserves a lot of blame for how this played out.
Ohio State needs to do a better job of identifying prospects who truly want to be a Buckeye. Recruiting someone for two years, only to find out that he thinks playing for the program would be a chore, is a mismanagement of the coaching staff. That's something that needs to be figured out before they focus on the 2028 recruiting class.
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