Ole Miss Simply Had No Chance in $6 Million Recruiting Battle for 5-Star Running Back

The Ole Miss Rebels were one of three finalists for 2027 five-star running back David Gabriel Georges, who was also deciding between the Tennessee Volunteers and Ohio State Buckeyes.

However, Ole Miss was left in the dust, as Gabriel Georges announced his commitment to Tennessee earlier this week.

And when it was revealed what kind of NIL contract that Gabriel Georges is set to receive at Tennessee, it became clear that Ole Miss was either going to have cripple their roster financially just to land him or simply take the smart route and move on to the next elite recruit.

David Gabriel Georges Set to Earn Massive, Multi-Year Deal With Tennessee

Gabriel Georges is expected to be one of the highest-paid running back recruits ever with a three-year, $6 million deal from Tennessee, per reports from On3. He's the first running back in the legal NIL era to receive a deal north of $1 million.

The No. 2 overall running back in the 2027 class and a Top-10 player in 247Sports' rankings, there's no doubt that Gabriel Georges is deserving of some notable NIL earnings, but the $6 million price point was simply one that Ole Miss didn't need to try and match. And thankfully for Rebel fans, the team chose wisely.

For a high school player that has yet to play a snap of college football, it just isn't worth the risk until proven otherwise. And that's hardly a knock on Gabriel Georges as a player. Ole Miss is just much better off investing its money across the current roster and the 2027 class instead of putting all of its eggs into one giant NIL basket.

This isn't to say that Ole Miss couldn't afford Gabriel Georges. The Rebels could have done some financial gymnastics in order to pull it off, but is that really worth it? The answer is a simple "no."

While missing out on Gabriel Georges is still disappointing regardless of how it all went down, the fact he even had Ole Miss in his Top 3 shows just how highly recruits view Pete Golding.

There's still some doubts about whether or not he's the man for the job in Oxford, but last year's College Football Playoff run combined with a successful offseason of recruiting has given fans plenty of reason to feel confident about what the future holds for the program.

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