Since Brenan Vernon first received his offer from Ohio State last August, there’s been an expectation that he will follow the footsteps of Zach Harrison and Jack Sawyer and become the next homegrown five-star defensive end to play for Larry Johnson and the Buckeyes.
At this point in his recruitment, however, there appear to be at least two other serious contenders to steal him out of the Buckeyes’ backyard.
Vernon has made visits this month to all four of the teams that made last year’s College Football Playoff. He’s no longer interested in Clemson, telling reporters on Tuesday that “I just didn’t catch the vibe that I belonged there.” He is still interested in both Notre Dame and Alabama, however, and had great things to say about both programs when asked about those visits.
“What really struck my attention was Notre Dame,” Vernon said after working out at Ohio State’s sixth high school football camp of the month. “I love Notre Dame very much. An amazing program down there, just like here. Great guys.
“Alabama, I loved Alabama. They are the definition of a hard-nosed football team. You wonder why they win so many games? Go work out with them, you’ll know exactly why.”
Vernon had great things to say about Ohio State, too, describing the program as “amazing” after his workout at the Woody Hayes Athletic Center this week.
“Just such an amazing program, such an amazing group of guys, and there’s nothing more to it,” Vernon said. “They know exactly what they’re doing, they’re a hard-nosed football team, there’s no doubt about it.”
Vernon is enjoying building a relationship with Ohio State defensive line coach Larry Johnson, and he’s well aware of Johnson’s track record of building prospects like him into first-round NFL draft picks. The Bosa brothers are Vernon’s favorite players, and he enjoyed finally having the opportunity to work with Johnson on the field this week.
“Coach J works wonders,” Vernon said. “Buddy’s a guru, you know what I mean? He’s a wizard with his craft. There’s no other way to describe him.”
For a high school football player like Vernon, who’s from a family of Buckeye fans in Mentor, Ohio and is ranked as the No. 2 Ohioan and No. 18 overall prospect in the 2023 class, camping at Ohio State could be described as a dream come true. Vernon didn’t want to go that far, though, after camping at Ohio State on Tuesday.
“It’s a blessing. I can tell you that much. A dream for me is just finding a place that’s best for myself,” Vernon said. “I can tell you it’s a blessing, but it’s not exactly a dream. The dream for me is finding a place that just clicks.”
Will Ohio State ultimately be the best place for Vernon, the place that clicks and makes him want to commit to play football there? That’s still to be determined.
Just because Vernon isn’t ready to commit to Ohio State right now doesn’t mean he won’t ultimately be. There’s no better example of that than Harrison, who the Buckeyes pursued heavily for years yet never gave much indication that he would end up at Ohio State until he signed with them on early signing day. But there’s at least more uncertainty about Vernon becoming a Buckeye than there was with Sawyer, who had already been committed to Ohio State for nearly five months at this point in his recruitment.
Some of that can be chalked up to the nearly 15-month dead period that just ended this month, as Vernon and every other recruit had to wait their opportunities to make visits for more than a full year. Vernon, who said he will “of course” be back at Ohio State for a game this fall, indicated Tuesday that his recruiting process could be far from over.
“I’d say quite a distance,” Vernon said when asked how long it would be until he makes a decision. “There’s still so much I have to see, and all these schools are so different. But I’m just slowly building relationships and getting to know the schools personally and it’s a great process so far. But yeah, I couldn’t say any time soon.”
But Vernon also said he could commit at any point in the process if the moment feels right.
“If I really got that good feeling and I’m standing there on campus and I know that this is exactly what I want, yessir, I would make the decision right then and there,” Vernon said.
What will it take for Ohio State, or any other school, to land Vernon’s commitment? He says he’s not exactly sure what factors will sway his decision one way or the other.
“In my opinion, I’ll just know,” Vernon said. “It’ll click with me, and I’ll just know exactly what I want when I see it.”
For now, Vernon is just focusing on becoming the best football player he can be and taking the process one day at a time as he prepares for his junior season at Mentor High School.
“I’m not really paying too much attention to recruiting,” Vernon said. “I’m mostly focusing on myself, making sure I’m the best player I can be, day in and day out. And I know the recruiting will take care of itself. And when I know what I want, I know what I want.”
