5-star wide receiver Vernell Brown III chooses Florida over Ohio State

The Ohio State Buckeyes received confirmation Sunday afternoon that five-star wide receiver Vernell Brown III plans to remain 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.

The Buckeyes were the only out-of-state school still eligible for his recruitment until Sunday’s announcement at 2 p.m. ET.

Despite Ohio State remaining in the conversation until the end, Florida appeared to have the upper hand for a while. Prior to the announcement, Florida received four Crystal Ball predictions on 247 Sports in the past month. On3’s recruiting prediction engine gave the Gators an 87.8 percent chance of landing his commitment. Ohio State was second earlier Sunday at 9.2 percent.

Brown is ranked sixth among wide receivers by On3 and seventh among wide receivers by 247 Sports.

Brown’s commitment is huge for the Gators, as he is only their 11th commit in the 2025 recruiting class. Before Brown chose the Gators, they had the 15th-ranked class in the SEC at On3. They were also ranked just 53rd nationally.

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

In the 2025 class, the Buckeyes have three wide receiver commitments. Four-star wide receivers Quincy Porter and De’zie Jones both committed to Ohio State earlier this year. Three-star receiver Bodpegn Miller of Manfield, Ohio has also committed to the Buckeyes.

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