5-star WR Jamier Brown at center of Ohio lawsuit seeking NIL profit at high school level

Wayne (Ohio) five-star wide receiver Jamier Brown, one of the nation’s top high school football prospects in the 2027 cycle, is one of the many athletes in Ohio who’s currently unable to take advantage of his name, image and likeness.

The Ohio High School Athletic Association still prohibits athletes from profiting off of NIL. On Wednesday, ESPN’s Pete Thamel reported that Brown’s mother, Jasmine, has filed a lawsuit that’s in pursuit of allowing her son to benefit from his name, image and likeness.

According to Thamel, the lawsuit says that Brown’s earning power exceeds $100,000. It also calls the current rules of the OHSAA, which was named in the complaint, “outdated and unlawful.” Ohio is one of just a handful of states that continues to prohibit NIL at the high school level.

Brown has since released a statement on X:

“Dear Ohio, I want to share something that I hope can help make a real change for high school athletes in Ohio. I’m filing a case in court to challenge the current Ohio High School Athletic Association rules that stop athletes from using their name, image, and likeness. I’ve talked about this with my attorney, my family, and the people close to me, and I want to use my platform to make a difference for athletes across the state. I’m being raised by an amazing single mom who’s always doing her best to keep things steady while helping me chase my goals on and off the field.

…Like what’s allowed in other states, I want to be able to use my name, image, and likeness to help my family financially and get the extra after school academic help and football training that can help me maximize my potential. NIL can make that possible for me and many other student athletes in Ohio. We’ll see what happens next, but I want to thank those that are standing with me during this process. For any questions, please contact my attorney. Now it’s back to school and football where the real work continues.“

Brown, an Ohio State commit, currently has an On3 NIL Valuation of $300k.  The On3 NIL Valuation is the industry’s leading index that sets high school and college athletes’ projected annual value (PAV). The NIL valuation does not act as a tracker of the value of NIL deals an athlete has completed to date. It rather signifies an athlete’s value at a certain moment in time.

In May of 2022, The member schools of the OHSAA voted against NIL rights to athletes, with nearly 70 percent of the schools voting against the proposed bylaw. Since then, efforts to change that have been scant.

“Our staff and board of directors continues to keep an eye on the changing NIL landscape and we have discussed whether or not some version of NIL should be on the referendum ballot,” OHSAA director of communications Tim Stried told the Columbus Dispatch last March. “That’s really all we can say about it at this point.”

Brown is the No. 10 overall prospect and No. 1 wide receiver in the 2027 cycle, according to the Rivals Industry Ranking, a weighted average that utilizes all major recruiting media companies. He’s also the No. 1 junior in Ohio and has been committed to Ohio State since Nov. 23, 2024.

Brown had 63 receptions for 1,035 yards and 13 touchdowns in 14 games as a sophomore for the Wayne Warriors and is also one of the top sprinters in the state of Ohio. He’s now amidst his junior season and has shown zero signs of wanting to leave the state to pursue NIL opportunities elsewhere.