5-Star Wide Receiver Vernell Brown III Commits To Florida Over Ohio State

The Florida Gators acquired a commitment from five-star in-state receiver Vernell Brown III on Sunday afternoon. Brown chose the Gators over Ohio State and two other schools.

Jan 1, 2021; New Orleans, LA, USA; Ohio State Buckeyes wide receiver Chris Olave (2) helmet and gloves during warm-ups before their game against Clemson Tigers during the College Football Playoff semifinal at the Allstate Sugar Bowl in the Mercedes-Benz Superdome in New Orleans on Friday, Jan. 1, 2021. Mandatory Credit: Ken Ruinard-USA TODAY Sports / Anderson Independent Mail-USA TODAY

The Ohio State Buckeyes got confirmation on Sunday afternoon that five-star wide receiver Vernell Brown III plans to stay in Florida. The 5'11", 170-pound receiver announced his commitment to the Florida Gators, choosing the SEC school over Ohio State, Miami FL and Florida State.

BREAKING: Elite 2025 WR Vernell Brown III has Committed to Florida, he tells me for @on3recruits

The 5’11 170 WR from Orlando, FL chose the Gators over Ohio State, Miami, & Florida State

“Gator Nation…. I’M HOME🐊🐊”https://t.co/cTwUyZh9s3 pic.twitter.com/jQIbHtbfzL

— Hayes Fawcett (@Hayesfawcett3) July 21, 2024

The Buckeyes were the lone out-of-state school still standing in his recruitment up until the announcement at 2 PM ET on Sunday.

Despite Ohio State remaining in the conversation until the very end, Florida appeared to have the edge for a little while. Prior to the announcement, Florida received four Crystal Ball predictions on 247 Sports within the last month. On3's recruiting prediction machine gave the Gators an 87.8 percent chance to land his commitment. Ohio State was in the second spot with 9.2 percent earlier on Sunday.

Brown is ranked as the No. 6 wide receiver on On3 and the No. 7 wide receiver on 247 Sports.

The commitment of Brown is massive for the Gators as he becomes only their 11th commit in the 2025 recruiting class. Prior to Brown choosing the Gators, they held the 15th ranked class in the SEC on On3. They were also only 53rd nationally in the rankings.

As for where the Ohio State Buckeyes stand at the wide receiver position, the Buckeyes currently have a talented bunch on the roster. Aside from Emeka Egbuka and Jayden Ballard, it is a fairly young room. Carnell Tate, Brandon Inniss, Jeremiah Smith, Mylan Graham and Bryson Rodgers are all either sophomores or freshman.

In the 2025 class, the Buckeyes hold three commitments from wide receivers. Four-star wide receivers Quincy Porter and De'zie Jones both chose Ohio State earlier this year. Three-star receiver Bodpegn Miller from Manfield, Ohio is also committed to the Buckeyes.

The Buckeyes do still have a great chance to land one five-star wide receiver in this class. Jaime Ffrench from Jacksonville, Florida is reportedly scheduled to announce his commitment on August 30th. The Ohio State Buckeyes, Texas Longhorns, LSU Tigers, Miami Hurricanes and Tennessee Volunteers are the five schools in the mix according to 247 Sports.