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David Gabriel Georges commits to Tennessee over Ohio State.
Tennessee won a bidding war for top high school running back David Gabriel Georges. They made an offer Ohio State refused to match.
Details of that NIL deal have now been revealed. Garbriel Georges will be the highest paid running back recruit ever.
The ball carrier will be a millionaire the moment he signs the dotted line. While his family insisted money was never the top factor, it appears he signed with the highest bidder.
David Gabriel Georges committed to Tennessee.
The Quebec native moved to Chattanooga as a high school freshman to play football at the prominent Baylor School program. He is now a five-star prospect.
Gabriel Georges ran for 1,756 yards and 27 touchdowns as a junior last season. More is expected in his senior year this fall.
A national power, Baylor School is the reigning Division II-AAA champion in the state of Tennessee. Gabriel Georges was a big reason why. He’s a special player. 247 Sports views him as a Top 10 talent nationally and the second-best player at his position. His recruitment ultimately came down to three schools.
Tennessee, located about an hour and a half from Gabriel Georges’ high school, was a frontrunner. Ohio State and Ole Miss were also firmly in the mix.
A bidding war was ignited. The Vols won out.
Rumors of a $1 million price tag surfaced early in the recruitment. That number will be closer to $2 million according to recent reports.
NIL details revealed.
On3’s Hayes Fawcett threw out an Instagram post that pieced together some tidbits from insider reporting. According to that post, David Gabriel Georges is set to earn a $2 million salary in each of the next three years.
He will also receive unspecified travel perks to have family attend his games. Those details aren’t exactly clear, and don’t reference if this is reserved to immediate family located in Chattanooga or extended family back in Quebec. It could be private airfare. It could be lush hotel arrangements on gameday weekends. Some have even assumed real estate offerings.
Regardless, those perks will be taken care of. And even without the addition of extra benefits, the contract is massive. Especially for a player that’s never taken a college snap. Tennessee was willing to pay. Others weren’t.
Georgia dropped out of the running prior to Gabriel Georges’ decision. NIL played a role. It appears Ohio State wasn’t willing to accept the terms of the NIL ask, either.
The Buckeyes made a late push for the running back’s commitment. Jeremy Birmingham of Lettermen Row provided an update on the recruiting race earlier in the month. He confirmed the $6 million price tag. He also said Ohio State probably wouldn’t be able to match.
“Adidas has sweetened the pot in a way that I just don’t know how [Ohio State can] combat it. Ohio State reportedly — or I’ve been told — they asked Nike if they could get involved, and [Nike] said ‘We don’t get involved with high school athletes.'”
Simply put, the Buckeyes had to rely on relationships on the coaching staff. In the end, those relationships weren’t enough.
Tennessee has made a very, very strong pitch. Ohio State will have to counter and rely on the fact that the relationship between Carlos Locklyn and David Gabriel-Georges is just better than the relationship anywhere else.
David Gabriel Georges picked Tennessee. They will pay him the most money. Ohio State could not secure Nike’s support, and they refused to spend any more of their own NIL dough.