COLUMBUS, Ohio — Ohio State thought it had already won the most important recruiting battle involving five-star edge rusher DJ Jacobs. The Buckeyes secured his commitment last December, built one of the strongest defensive recruiting classes in the country around him and continued strengthening the relationship throughout the summer.
But in the modern recruiting era, a commitment is not the finish line.
Jacobs is still expected to return to Columbus for Ohio State games this fall, giving the Buckeyes another opportunity to reinforce their position with the nation’s premier defensive prospects. Yet there is a significant complication developing behind the scenes: Tennessee is continuing to pursue Jacobs, and the Volunteers have a connection to the five-star defender that Ohio State cannot manufacture.
That connection runs through Tennessee defensive line coach Rodney Garner, who coached Jacobs’ father at Georgia.
For Ohio State, that relationship could prove to be the biggest obstacle between Jacobs’ current commitment and eventually signing with the Buckeyes.
Jacobs, a 6-foot-5 edge defender from Blessed Trinity Catholic in Roswell, Georgia, has been one of the most important pieces of Ohio State’s 2027 recruiting class since choosing the Buckeyes over Miami and Texas A&M. His commitment gave coach Ryan Day and longtime defensive line coach Larry Johnson a premier building block for a defensive front that is being assembled with championship-level expectations.
The stakes are obvious.
Five-star defensive linemen do not simply add depth. They alter the ceiling of a recruiting class and, eventually, the athletic profile of an entire defensive unit. Jacobs possesses the length, burst and positional versatility to project as a high-impact edge rusher, particularly in a scheme that can move him around the front and create favorable pass-rushing matchups.
Ohio State’s pursuit of Jacobs also reflected how highly the program valued him. Reports have indicated that the Buckeyes have offered Jacobs a multiyear NIL arrangement worth more than $1 million annually. That kind of investment illustrates the importance of the prospect to Ohio State’s long-term defensive plans.
But money is only one component of modern recruiting.
Jacobs’ relationship with Garner gives Tennessee a different kind of recruiting advantage. Jacobs’ father played for Garner at Georgia, creating a family connection that predates the current recruiting battle by decades. Garner is not simply another coach trying to convince a highly rated prospect to change schools; he is someone the Jacobs family already knows and trusts.
That distinction matters.
“With a guy like DJ Jacobs, Ohio State’s made a huge investment there in him,” VolQuest’s Austin Price said, according to A to Z Sports. “Tennessee’s got some really longstanding relationships there due to Rodney Garner coaching his father at Georgia many moons ago.”
Jacobs’ father has acknowledged Tennessee’s interest while also making clear that the situation has not reached the point of an imminent flip. When asked whether his son remained on track to sign with Ohio State, he indicated that, as of now, the answer remained yes, while acknowledging how quickly recruiting situations can change.
That distinction is important for Ohio State.
There is a difference between a legitimate threat and a recruit actively preparing to leave. At this point, the available evidence places Jacobs in the former category.
In fact, Jacobs’ own comments earlier this summer were encouraging for the Buckeyes. Following his return to Columbus, he described himself as locked in with Ohio State and praised the people inside the program. He also emphasized the importance of feeling comfortable with a school beyond football, saying his experience in Columbus continued to reinforce his decision.
That is precisely why the planned return visits matter.
Ohio State does not necessarily need to “recruit” Jacobs from scratch. The objective now is to maintain the relationship, keep communication consistent and prevent competing programs from creating enough momentum to turn uncertainty into an actual recruitment.
The Buckeyes also have another potential complication.
Jacobs signed an endorsement agreement with Adidas this summer. Ohio State is a Nike school, while Tennessee has moved to Adidas. Miami, another program pursuing Jacobs, also has an Adidas relationship. That means the apparel connection does not automatically point Jacobs toward Tennessee, but it does give the Volunteers another piece of the recruiting pitch.
The Adidas connection becomes more intriguing because Tennessee recently demonstrated its willingness to use every available advantage in recruiting. The Volunteers ultimately won the battle for five-star running back David Gabriel Georges over Ohio State, and reports indicated that financial considerations were part of that recruitment.
Tennessee now appears interested in taking another prized Buckeyes recruit.
That makes Jacobs’ upcoming visits particularly significant.
A return to Ohio Stadium would give Ohio State another chance to sell Jacobs on the environment, the program’s defensive development and the role he could play in the Buckeyes’ future. More importantly, it allows the staff to keep the relationship personal at a time when outside programs are attempting to reopen the recruitment.
Ohio State has plenty of reasons to remain confident.
The Buckeyes have already assembled an impressive defensive line haul for the 2027 class. Jacobs is joined by four-star EDGE Wyatt Smith, while five-star defensive lineman Marcus Fakatou subsequently committed to Ohio State after choosing the Buckeyes over programs including Georgia and Texas. The class also remains active on the recruiting trail.
For Johnson, the opportunity is significant.
Few coaches in college football have a stronger reputation for developing defensive linemen than Johnson, and Ohio State has repeatedly used that track record as a recruiting weapon. The Buckeyes are attempting to build a defensive front capable of competing not only in the Big Ten but throughout the expanded College Football Playoff.
Matt Patricia’s arrival as Ohio State’s defensive coordinator adds another dimension to the equation. The former NFL head coach brings extensive experience designing pressure packages and manipulating protections, while Johnson remains one of the most recognizable names in defensive-line development.
For an edge rusher like Jacobs, that combination represents an obvious developmental pitch.
Ohio State can offer the prospect a path toward becoming an impact player in a defense built around versatility, pressure and NFL-style concepts. Tennessee can counter with geography, family relationships, the SEC and a coaching connection that goes back to Jacobs’ father.
That is what makes this recruitment so compelling.
The Buckeyes have the commitment. Tennessee has the relationship. Miami has demonstrated that it is willing to spend aggressively on elite talent. Georgia remains a natural threat because of Jacobs’ roots in the state.
And Jacobs has not completely shut the door on those programs.
That does not mean Ohio State should panic. It means the Buckeyes cannot become complacent.
The lesson of the current recruiting landscape is straightforward: verbal commitments are valuable, but signed letters of intent are what ultimately count. Until Jacobs signs, Ohio State must continue treating him like a priority recruit rather than a finished transaction.
For a program with national championship aspirations, retaining a player of Jacobs’ caliber could be just as important as adding another five-star prospect.
The Buckeyes have already made a substantial investment in him. They have built relationships with his family, positioned him as the centerpiece of their defensive recruiting class and continued to give him reasons to remain committed.
Now comes the harder part.
Ohio State has to make sure Tennessee’s relationship with the Jacobs family never becomes more influential than the relationship the Buckeyes have built in Columbus.
The planned return to Ohio State this fall could be another important step in that process.
For now, Jacobs remains committed to the Buckeyes.
But with Tennessee pushing, Miami lurking and a family connection to the Volunteers’ defensive staff, Ohio State’s recruiting victory is not yet final.
The Buckeyes still have work to do.
