Josh Heupel and the Tennessee Volunteers are trying to flip the script on the Ohio State Buckeyes this summer and keep a couple of elite recruits from landing in Columbus.
The Tennessee Vols, as they seem to be every year, are in the midst of a couple of big-time recruiting battles with the Ohio State Buckeyes.
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Tennessee and Ohio State have each made five-star running back David Gabriel Georges a top priority, and the Vols are trying to poach five-star EDGE DJ Jacobs from the Buckeyes (Jacobs has been committed to Ohio State since December).
Gabriel Georges is set to announce his commitment on July 22. The Vols have some momentum in that recruiting battle, but Ohio State has confidence they can land the coveted running back.
Jacobs, meanwhile, is still firmly committed to the Buckeyes, but Ohio State knows it’ll be a fight to keep him.
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Tennessee defensive line coach Rodney Garner has a longstanding relationship with Jacobs (Jacobs’ dad played for Garner at Georgia in the late 90s/early 2000s), which gives the Vols a real chance with the No. 1 overall recruit in the nation.
And that’s not the only thing the Vols have working in their favor.
Adidas could help Tennessee flip DJ Jacobs from Ohio State
Tennessee is officially making the switch to Adidas on July 1.
Ohio State, meanwhile, is a Nike school.
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This matters because Jacobs reportedly signed with Adidas this week.
Jacobs could still land with Ohio State despite signing the deal with Adidas. But Jacobs’ new deal with Adidas is undoubtedly more of an advantage for Tennessee than it is for Ohio State.
And remember, Vols true freshman wide receiver TK Keys, the No. 1 wide receiver in the 2026 recruiting class, signed with Adidas last summer just two months before flipping from LSU (a Nike school) to Tennessee.
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(Note: When Keys signed with Adidas, it was heavily rumored that Tennessee would be agreeing to a deal with Adidas. Tennessee officially announced the switch a month later, which was about six weeks before Keys flipped to the Vols.)
Jacobs, a Georgia native, is from SEC country, he has a deal with Adidas, and his family is very close with Garner. The Vols may not win this battle — we’ll see what happens over the next few weeks — but they certainly have plenty working in their favor that makes it feel like flipping the five-star EDGE could be a reality.
This article was originally published on A to Z Sports. Read the full story here: Ohio State fans aren’t happy after new a development significantly boosts Tennessee’s chances with 5-star Buckeyes commit DJ Jacobs
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