CHATTANOOGA — Last year, David Gabriel Georges could only watch.
Knocked out of the Division II-AAA state championship game with an injury in the fourth quarter, the Baylor running back was left as a spectator as McCallie rallied from a 21-0 halftime deficit to win the TSSAA football BlueCross Bowl, 27-21. For the Red Raiders, it was the second straight painful defeat to their crosstown rival.
Advertisement
Trailing Brentwood Academy in this season’s DII-AAA title game on Dec. 4 after leading by 11 in the third quarter, the Red Raiders found themselves in another hole — only this time, they had a fully healthy five-star running back to dig them out.
MORE: Jared Curtis ends Nashville Christian career with another TSSAA football title
MORE: What Vanderbilt commit Omarii Sanders said about Jared Curtis, Owen Cabell flips
Gabriel Georges totaled 211 all-purpose yards, 57 coming on his team’s go-ahead fourth-quarter touchdown drive, as Baylor (12-0) won its first state championship since 2022 with a 28-24 win over Brentwood Academy (11-1). One of the nation’s top recruits now has the trinity of Tennessee high school football — Mr. Football, BlueCross Bowl MVP and a state title — under his belt.
Advertisement
“It’s great to finally be able to get it done and win,” he said. “… I can’t even describe how happy the whole team is.”
Where Tennessee football stands with David Gabriel Georges
Tennessee and Ohio State have emerged as two of the favorites for Gabriel Georges, who has over 30 offers and is ranked by the 247Sports Composite as No. 14 nationally and No. 1 in Tennessee for the class of 2027. He wore a Buckeyes wristband during the title game, and visited Columbus when they faced Texas in their season opener. He was also in Knoxville for the Volunteers‘ games against Arkansas and Oklahoma this fall.
But Gabriel Georges, who said he likes being around the people at both Tennessee and Ohio State, isn’t exactly close to making his decision. He’s hoping to take official visits to his top schools next spring or summer leading up to his commitment.
Advertisement
“I’ll keep talking to schools, because everything is kind of new for me,” he said. “I stay open and just go around, trying to see what I like and what my family likes. It’s still just the beginning of the process. … I’ve learned more about myself with the things that I like.”
Baylor’s David Gabriel Georges (0) runs in the touchdown during the Division II-AAA Championship match between Baylor versus. Brentwood Academy in Finley Stadium, Chattanooga, Tenn., on Thursday, Dec. 4, 2025.
Gabriel Georges ran for 151 yards and a touchdown on 28 carries and caught three passes for 60 yards and another score. He converted a crucial third-and-long for Baylor on its go-ahead drive, catching a swing pass from Louisville signee Briggs Cherry and making multiple defenders miss on a 12-yard gain, and picked up another third down on the ground after ghosting past an Eagle defensive lineman in the backfield.
“I was waiting for that,” he said. “To be able to be healthy and there for my team when they need me.”
Advertisement
Jacob Shames can be reached by email at jshames@gannett.com and on X/Twitter @Jacob_Shames.
This article originally appeared on Nashville Tennessean: Tennessee target David Gabriel Georges wins first state championship
