Elite wide receiver Vernell Brown III cuts final trimmed list, Ohio State in the running
COLUMBUS — Ohio State routinely and consistently finds itself on top schools lists for prospects all over the country every recruiting cycle.
Well, the Buckeyes landed on another on Tuesday evening. Four-star Orlando (Fla) Jones wide receiver Vernell Brown III included Ohio State in his top four.
Florida, Florida State and Miami are the other three programs in contention.
Brown is the No. 46 overall prospect and the No. 7 wide receiver according to On3. He checks in as the No. 60 overall prospect and the No. 9 wide receiver in the On3 Industry Rankings. Both metrics have him as a top-10 prospect inside Florida.
Where do the Buckeyes stand among the mix? Is there a clear-cut leader? Lettermen Row breaks it down.
Ohio State
Ohio State wide receiver coach Brian Hartline is well-regarded as one of the best recruiters in the country. He’s gone to Florida on several occasions and managed to yank out the state’s elite talent in favor of playing in Columbus.
Can he do that again with Brown?
The On3 Recruiting Prediction Machine has the Buckeyes as the heavy favorite, largely in part of two predictions — myself and Alex Gleitman. Brown visited Ohio State for its Student Appreciation Day practice, one of the biggest recruiting events of the spring.
As of now, I still like my prediction that the Buckeyes will land Brown, but this recruitment has gotten much tougher as spring begins to bloom into summer.
Brown will be back at Ohio State for his official visit starting May 31.
The Sunshine State
Florida and Florida State are the two in-state programs to really pay attention to when talking about Brown. Let’s start with the Gators.
Yes, the orange and blue haven’t shown much on the field, but there are family ties to Gainesville for Brown. His father played at Florida from 2001-2005 as a cornerback and is currently the program’s senior director of student-athlete development and alumni relationships. The younger Brown has made at least eight trips to Gainesville and will be back for his official visit starting June 14.
As for the Seminoles, that’s an opportunity to play for Mike Norvell who is turning around the program in Tallahassee. Florida State has emerged late in this recruitment and the notion is that when Brown makes his official visit in June (21-23) the picture will be much clearer.
And of course, Miami finds its way on a top school list because why not? Brown last visited Coral Gables on April 6 but does not have an official visit scheduled.
