Unexpected National Power Enters Battle to Flip Ohio State’s 5-Star Commit

Rankings have him as the top player in the 2027 class, and the SEC program now chasing him just set a record price to beat the Buckeyes for another target

This major SEC program is making a push to flip a commitment from a five-star recruit. | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

Ohio State landed the top player in the 2027 class last December, when five-star edge rusher DJ Jacobs picked the Buckeyes on live television over Miami, Texas A&M, Georgia and a long list of others.

For seven months, the Hurricanes were treated as the only real threat to take him back, but that changed this week.

Tennessee is now challenging for the Roswell, Georgia native, and the Vols are doing it from a much stronger spot than they held in December.

Tennessee joins the race to flip DJ Jacobs from Ohio State

The Volunteers' push was reported on Tuesday. The recruit's father, David Jacobs, did not deny it, but he did not treat it as urgent either.

"I have a good relationship with Coach (Rodney) Garner," the elder Jacobs said. "He's like a dad to me but that's all that's really going on with that."

Tennessee is making a push for Ohio State Five-Star Plus+ EDGE commit David Jacobs👀

Rivals' @SWiltfong_ has the latest.

Details: https://t.co/j61xJASk7H pic.twitter.com/AzzSqsb2dH

— Rivals (@Rivals) July 28, 2026

He was then asked if his son is still on track to sign with Ohio State in December. His answer is the part Buckeyes fans should read twice. "As of today, yes, but you know how this stuff goes," he said.

National recruiting insider Steve Wiltfong put a number on how serious this is.

"I certainly don't think those rumors are coming out of thin air," Wiltfong said. "I think that Tennessee is a program that has entered the mix for David 'DJ' Jacobs going into his senior year and look like the biggest threat to Ohio State. The family is saying most of the right things about the Buckeyes; the one thing that they're not saying is that this recruitment is shut down."

Why Rodney Garner and the Adidas switch matter for Tennessee

Garner, Tennessee's defensive line coach, coached David Jacobs at Georgia in the late 1990s and early 2000s. That is a real relationship, not a cold call.

The 6-foot-5, 240-pound pass rusher signed with Adidas earlier this year. Tennessee moved from Nike to Adidas in July. The same connection was in place when the Vols beat Ohio State for five-star running back David Gabriel Georges last week.

The piece almost nobody is saying out loud is the coordinator. Tennessee hired Jim Knowles in December on a three-year deal that averages $2.2 million per year. Knowles built the defense that won Ohio State the national title in the 2024 season. The man who knows exactly how the Buckeyes develop pass rushers now works in Knoxville and is part of the pitch against them.

Miami still has the money but not the same need

Mario Cristobal has run the best flip operation in the cycle. Miami pulled cornerback Donte Wright from Georgia, edge rusher Jaiden Bryant from LSU, cornerback Ai'King Hall from Oregon and receiver Eli Woodard from USC. The Hurricanes sit third nationally. They also pay at the top of the market, with quarterback Darian Mensah valued at $6.5 million, the highest figure in college sports.

However, Miami already signed a five-star edge rusher in Bryant. Tennessee has no such answer at the position. Need is a currency too, and right now the Vols have more of it.

What Ohio State has already paid for DJ Jacobs

The Buckeyes are not standing still. National recruiting reporter Pete Nakos laid out the terms.

"Sources have told On3 that Jacobs is set to sign a multi-year deal with Ohio State paying north of $1 million annually," Nakos wrote.

Tennessee has a family connection to five-star edge David DJ Jacobs and isn't giving up on recruiting the Peach State blue-chipper and Ohio State commit: https://t.co/PqQ20gb0Mx pic.twitter.com/eh4B3KlS6Z

— Steve Wiltfong (@SWiltfong_) July 28, 2026

That number lost to Tennessee once already. Gabriel Georges took roughly $2 million over three years, plus family travel, to choose the Vols over the Buckeyes.

Jacobs is expected back at Ohio State multiple times this fall for game day visits. His younger brother Dawson, a four-star defensive lineman in the 2028 class, will also be taking visits, and Wiltfong expects the family to be inside Neyland Stadium at some point this season.