Recruiting: Five-Star 2025 Wide Receiver Vernell Brown III Commits To Florida Over Ohio State, Miami and Florida State
Ohio State and Brian Hartline have lost out on one of the top wide receiver prospects in the 2025 class, as Orlando (Fla.) Jones five-star Vernell Brown III (5-11, 170) announced his commitment to Florida over the Buckeyes, Miami and Florida State on Sunday.
Brown, the nation’s 25th-best overall prospect and sixth-best wide receiver in the class, was projected to pledge with the Gators, with expert recruiters giving Florida a 88.9 percent chance to land him. The five-star made it known that he had strong interest in staying within his home state to play college football, but he still showed an inclination to Hartline and the Buckeyes — the only non-Florida school in his final four — throughout the recruitment process, even going on an official visit to Ohio State during the first weekend of June which he said was an eye-opening experience.
“I really loved everything about it,” Brown told Eleven Warriors on June 2. “I can say that for both me and my family. OSU has done a great job showing me and my family why they are the program they are and show the way they do things. It’s a really good program and it really opened my eyes on this (official visit).”
But despite this interest, Brown still chose to stay in the Sunshine State and pledge to a Gators’ program that has deep-rooted connections to his family. Brown’s father, Vernell Brown Jr., was a cornerback for Florida from 2001-05 and also served as a senior director of student-athlete development and alumni relations from 2018-23. His grandfather, Vernell Brown Sr., also played for the Gators as a defensive back from 1982-85, while Brown’s uncle, Vincent Brown, played running back at Florida under Urban Meyer in the late 2000s.
Brown’s commitment is a significant get for a Florida program looking to return to national relevance under head coach Billy Napier. It is the program’s first five-star pledge in the 2025 class, which currently ranks 62nd in the nation with a score of 170.11.
As for Ohio State, Brown’s commitment would’ve added to an already loaded 2025 class that ranks No. 1 in the nation with four five-star commits and 16 four-star pledges for a total team score of 310.87.
The pledge would have also been the first five-star wide receiver in a class that already includes Wayne (N.J.) Depaul Catholic four-star De’Zie Jones (6-0, 180), Mansfield (Ohio) Ontario three-star Bodpegn Miller (6-3, 180) and Oradell (N.J.) Bergen Catholic four-star Quincy Porter (6-3, 190). Instead, the Buckeyes will now pivot to their other top receiver targets, with Mission Viejo, Calif., four-star Phillip Bell (6-2, 195) — who is expected to choose between Ohio State and USC later this summer — and Pickerington North three-star Preston Bowman likely leading that list.