Mario Cristobal's 5-star pursuit is not over after Buckeyes commit leaves the door open

Miami lost out on an early recruiting battle when five-star edge prospect DJ Jacobs committed to Ohio State over the Hurricanes, Georgia and Texas A&M. Jacobs had been trending toward Miami over the past couple of days, but the son of David Jacobs, a former Georgia Bulldogs defensive lineman, has decided to fly north for his football future. 

Or has he?

Jacobs isn't ruling anything out at this point, nor should he, given that he's a year away from signing a letter of intent and so much can change between now and then, still his comments upon making his verbal pledge have irked some people.

Jacobs says the quiet part out loud

The prospect is right when he says recruiting is never over. You think just because he's committed to Ohio State that the other schools pursuing him will stop calling? Absolutely not. Heck, Mario Cristobal will probably have someone reach out to him as soon as the Cotton Bowl is over on Wednesday night. Jacobs is going to take visits, both unofficial and official, to the places that he's interested in, and what's wrong with that? 

Even with the transfer portal available, most prospects really sign their letter to a program with the intention of playing there for their entire college career. These days, the chances of that happening are pretty slim, especially with so much movement among coaches. 

Most coaches know the deal

It's a two-way street here. Jacobs is still going through the process and the staff at Ohio State are still keeping the lines of communication with other prospects that play at his position. It's early in the 2027 recruiting cycle. We haven't been through the Junior Days or the spring evaluation on the summer prospect camps or flip season. 

The point is this is a marathon, not a sprint, and Jacobs is handling it the right way. Miami will be in the picture for his recruitment until he puts pen to paper next December. So enjoy the ride.