David Gabriel Georges' recruitment has revealed an unexpected difference between Tennessee's Josh Heupel and Ohio State's Ryan Day

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Saul Young/News Sentinel / USA TODAY NETWORK

Tennessee’s Josh Heupel and Ohio State’s Ryan Day are the two head coaches at the center of David Gabriel Georges’ recruitment, one of the biggest recruiting battles of the summer.

Tennessee Vols head coach Josh Heupel isn’t the most vocal coach in the SEC.

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In fact, he may be the least vocal.

Heupel doesn’t do a ton of media, he’s not comfortable “politicking” (a la Nick Saban or Steve Sarkisian), and he doesn’t use his media sessions to whine about perceived injustices in the sport.

Instead, Heupel keeps his head down and worries more about what’s happening inside of his program than what’s happening on the outside.

Ohio State’s Ryan Day, on the other hand, doesn’t seem to ever turn down a media opportunity. Whether it’s a local news channel in Ohio or a random YouTube interview, Day is usually down to do it.

That’s why fans may be surprised to hear what 2027 five-star running back David Gabriel Georges’ uncle said about the two coaches this week.

Tennessee and Ohio State are the top two programs in Gabriel Georges’ recruitment.

Josh Heupel sounds like the better relationship builder

While speaking with On3’s Steve Wiltfong this week, Gabriel Georges’ uncle, Jean Agenor, revealed that Heupel actually opened up more early in this recruiting battle than Day.

So much so that Agenor said he didn’t feel “personally connected” to Day until Gabriel Georges’ official visit to Ohio State late last month.

Agenor noted that Day opened up during the official visit while pointing out that was something the family had with Heupel from the start.

"Coach (Ryan) Day opened up more than before,” said Agenor. “We have had that consistent conversation with Coach (Josh) Heupel from the beginning. We didn't have that with Coach Day. I didn't feel personally connected. He opened up. When we left Ohio State, we were like the Ohio State official visit is going to be hard to beat..[then] Tennessee knocked the ball out of the park.”

What’s interesting about that quote is that Agenor told Wiltfong that he’s an Ohio State fan.

Day has always come across to me as a little robotic at times. And I’m not throwing shade at Day — Ohio State fans, after all, seemed to agree in 2024 when they wanted him fired before the Buckeyes thrashed Tennessee in the College Football Playoff. I think Day is a good coach. I thought he did a fantastic job of motivating his team ahead of the 2024 College Football Playoff. The Buckeyes responded well to adversity under Day’s leadership. But he doesn’t come across as personable as Heupel.

When you see Heupel in smaller settings — such as the handful of interviews he does each year with 104.5 The Zone’s 3HL — you get a sense of how genuine he is as a person. For better or worse, you’re getting the real deal with Heupel at all times. Day, on the other hand, comes off as someone who is trying to be more polished. There’s nothing wrong with that — everyone is different.

But I think it’s fair to surmise that Heupel is a better relationship builder than Day. Heupel may not be great in front of a mic in a media session, but he’s at his best in one-on-one situations. And that’s because he’s real.

The polish works for some. For Heupel, a little less shine is actually part of his charm.

This article was originally published on A to Z Sports. Read the full story here: David Gabriel Georges' recruitment has revealed an unexpected difference between Tennessee's Josh Heupel and Ohio State's Ryan Day

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