Ohio State is all in on trying to land five-star running back David Gabriel Georges, and the program’s recruiting push now includes some help from an unexpected source: former Buckeyes quarterback Will Howard. With Gabriel Georges set to announce his commitment between Ohio State, Tennessee, and Ole Miss, Howard’s voice has joined a chorus of current and former Buckeyes making the case for Columbus over Knoxville.
Where the Gabriel Georges Recruitment Stands
Gabriel Georges, a five-star running back out of Baylor School in Chattanooga, Tennessee, is the No. 2-ranked running back in the 247Sports Composite and one of the highest-profile remaining targets left on the board in the 2027 recruiting cycle. He’s set to announce his decision live on the CBS Sports College Football YouTube channel, with his choice coming down to a two-team race between Ohio State and Tennessee after Ole Miss fell out of serious contention.
The recruitment has been a genuine dogfight. Tennessee has leaned heavily into the in-state pitch, with Josh Heupel’s staff highlighting Gabriel Georges’ ties to the state and reportedly assembling an NIL package worth roughly $2 million annually over three years — one of the richest offers in the entire 2027 class. Ohio State, meanwhile, has countered with a package north of $1 million annually, banking instead on years of relationship-building, led by running backs coach Carlos Locklyn, who was the first coach to offer Gabriel Georges a scholarship back when Locklyn was still at Oregon.
Will Howard’s Recruiting Pitch
That’s where Will Howard comes in. Howard, who transferred to Ohio State from Kansas State ahead of the 2024 season and led the Buckeyes to a College Football Playoff national championship before being drafted by the Pittsburgh Steelers, has become one of the program’s most visible recent success stories. Speaking on a podcast with former Steelers Super Bowl-winning quarterback Ben Roethlisberger, Howard summed up his pitch for Ohio State in blunt terms, contrasting a beach-and-money destination with a program built for chasing national titles.
It’s the kind of message that resonates because Howard has receipts. He turned down other transfer destinations, including Miami and USC, to bet on Ohio State — and that bet paid off with a national championship ring and an NFL career. For a recruit like Gabriel Georges who’s currently weighing a massive NIL offer from Tennessee against Ohio State’s championship pedigree, hearing that exact trade-off framed by someone who lived it firsthand adds real weight to the Buckeyes’ pitch, even without Howard directly courting Gabriel Georges by name.
Howard Isn’t the Only One Recruiting for Ohio State
Howard’s comments arrive alongside a broader wave of grassroots recruiting from within the Ohio State program. Just days before Gabriel Georges’ commitment announcement, incoming Buckeyes commit Karlos May, a four-star defensive tackle out of Alabama, took to social media to make his own direct appeal to Gabriel Georges, pointing to what he called the best offensive line class in the 2027 cycle and asking what he was still waiting on. The post quickly racked up tens of thousands of views, a sign of how invested Ohio State’s fan base and incoming class have become in landing the five-star back.
That kind of peer-to-peer recruiting has become increasingly common in the NIL era, where current and future teammates use their own platforms to sell recruits on a program’s culture and trajectory. Combined with Howard’s alumni endorsement, it paints a picture of a program leaning on every resource available not just coaches and NIL dollars to close the gap on Tennessee.
Why Ohio State Believes It Can Still Win
Despite Tennessee carrying much of the momentum and buzz heading into decision day, Ohio State insiders have maintained genuine confidence that the Buckeyes can still come out on top. Locklyn’s multi-year relationship with Gabriel Georges is viewed internally as the foundation of that confidence, and head coach Ryan Day has increased his own involvement as the decision has neared, taking part in key conversations with Gabriel Georges and his family.
Ohio State also leans on a track record that’s hard for most programs to match: a recent history of developing skill-position talent into NFL Draft picks, highlighted by Howard’s own path from transfer quarterback to national champion to NFL starter. For a player widely projected as a future first-round pick himself, that development pipeline is a significant selling point, regardless of who’s making the pitch.
What a Commitment Would Mean for Ohio State
Landing Gabriel Georges would be a significant win for Ohio State’s 2027 class, further cementing the program’s reputation as one of the top running back factories in the country. It would also validate the years of recruiting investment the Buckeyes have made in Gabriel Georges specifically, dating back to Locklyn’s early relationship with him at Oregon. A loss, on the other hand, would sting given how much time and resources Ohio State has already put into the pursuit — and would put even more pressure on the program to find its next primary running back target in a cycle that’s otherwise been productive.
Given the money Tennessee has put on the table and the in-state ties Heupel’s staff has emphasized, this recruitment has always been considered a coin flip in the final stretch. But between Locklyn’s relationship, Day’s late involvement, and now alumni voices like Howard’s reinforcing the program’s championship pitch, Ohio State isn’t going down without a fight.
Final Thoughts
Whether or not Will Howard’s comments move the needle in Gabriel Georges’ final decision, they capture something bigger about where Ohio State’s recruiting pitch has landed in the NIL era: a blend of coaching relationships, program history, and alumni credibility all being deployed at once. With the announcement set to happen soon, all that’s left is to see whether the five-star back chooses the Buckeyes’ championship pitch or Tennessee’s record-setting NIL package.
Discover more from Allsportsreports
Subscribe to get the latest posts sent to your email.
