Tennessee football, Josh Heupel, land elite in-state running back David Gabriel Georges
· Yahoo Sports
Touted as one of the best running back prospects in the 2027 class, David Gabriel Georges had his pick of any team in the country. As he considered his options, he narrowed down his final list to a three consisting of Ohio State, Ole Miss and Tennessee.
In the end, it was Josh Heupel and home state Volunteers coming out on top.
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Gabriel Georges, a 2025 USA TODAY Sports All-American, announced his commitment to Tennessee on Wednesday as the Volunteers landed their first massive win of the 2027 cycle.
According to 247Sports, Gabriel Georges ranks as the No. 13 overall prospect in the 2027 class. The site ranks him as the No. 2 running back and No. 1 player out of Tennessee.
The USA TODAY Sports composite rankings lists Georges as the No. 10 overall prospect in the cycle and the No. 2 running back, trailing only Georgia commit Kemon Spell.
A back-to-back Division II-AAA Mr. Football winner in Tennessee, Gabriel Georges was at his best as a junior. He led Baylor to a 12-0 record rushing for 17,56 yards and 27 touchdowns averaging over 11 yards a carry.
In the Division II-AAA state championship game, he rushed for 151 yards and a touchdown along with a receiving touchdown. However, Gabriel Georges' best performance of the season came against rival McCallie two weeks prior where he rushed for 431 yards and seven touchdowns on 32 carries.
Georges adds to a heavy in-state class for the Vols
Heupel has made recruiting the Volunteer State a priority since he arrived in Knoxville and that has never been cleared than in the class they've assembled so far in this 2027 cycle.
Prior to Gabriel Georges' commitment, Tennessee had 17 pledges in its class. Of those 17 commitments, eight are in-state products. That list includes four of their top five commitments being in-state recruits.
That includes Brentwood Academy's Kesean Bowman and Kenneth Simon II, Oak Ridge tight end Malik Howard and Siegel (Murfreesboro) offensive lineman Princeton Uwaifo. Their other in-state commitments include Haywood (Brownsville) safety Jaden Butler, Goodpasture (Madison) cornerback Brandon Leavell, South Pittsburg wide receiver Dayon Cooper and Maryville linebacker JP Pearce.
When it comes to recruiting in-state backs who were also Mr. Football winners, Heupel has had success in that department. Tennessee junior running back DeSean Bishop was one of the state's most accomplished backs during his prep career at Karns (Knoxville).
However, Bishop was only ranked as a three-star running back coming out of high school. According to 247Sports, Gabriel Georges is Tennessee's first five-star running back commitment since former Beech standout Jalen Hurd signed in the 2014 class.
Gabriel Georges also gives Heupel a much-needed five-star commitment. He is Tennessee's only five-star pledge so far this cycle after the Volunteers signed three in the 2026 cycle, including quarterback Faizon Brandon and Gabriel George's former high school teammate Gabriel Osenda.
Follow Sports Reporter Joe Spears on X at @joe_spears7 or via email: [email protected]. For additional high school sports coverage, be sure to follow @usatodayhss on Instagram and X.
This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Tennessee football, Josh Heupel, land elite in-state running back David Gabriel Georges