Mabrey Mettauer was determined to visit Ohio State.
The 2024 Texas quarterback saw his sophomore season end at The Woodlands High School (The Woodlands, Texas) two weeks ago in a 52-35 playoff loss to cap off an 8-3 year, then hopped on a plane at 4 a.m. that Saturday morning to make it to Columbus in time for Ohio State’s contest against Purdue. His return trip wasn’t much more convenient, as he had to leave at 6 a.m. Sunday to make it home before basketball practice started the next day.
But the 6-foot-5, 215-pound quarterback didn’t mind, as he was determined to witness a gameday atmosphere at Ohio State. Mettauer, who has offers from Arizona State, Baylor, Florida, LSU and others but not from the Buckeyes yet, had started being recruited by Ohio State about a month ago.
“I got in touch with the coaches and they wanted me to come up,” Mettauer told Eleven Warriors. “I wanted them to see me in person and get the full experience of Ohio State football. I have been a recruit at different schools every free weekend. I had one weekend left and decided on Ohio State … Since Ohio State was showing some interest I thought they needed to meet me in person and I wanted to see if I could see myself playing there.”
During his visit, Mettauer spoke with Ohio State quarterbacks coach Corey Dennis and offensive assistant Reilly Jeffers.
“I was in and out but they definitely made me feel important,” Mettauer said.
Mettauer, who grew up a Texas A&M fan because his grandfather and uncles both played for the Aggies, also attended the Skull Session and relished “the spirit and tradition of OSU.” Seeing C.J. Stroud put up prolific numbers against the Boilermakers on his visit and then again one week later against Michigan State gave him confidence he could thrive in Ryan Day’s offense.
“I like the way coach Day has the quarterback airing out the ball almost the whole game. That's an important part of what I’m looking for in a football program,” Meattauer said. “I love the air attack and the way the quarterback really throws the ball a lot. The quarterback threw for over 400 yards, which tells me that’s my type of offense to be in.”
In 10 games for The Woodlands, Mettauer completed 123 of 186 passes for a 66 percent completion rating while throwing for 1,922 yards and 22 touchdowns compared to just three interceptions. He also ran 74 times for 393 yards and 13 touchdowns.
“I believe my strengths are my strong arm, being able to run with the ball as a big guy and throw outside the pocket,” Mettauer said.
Should he receive an offer from Ohio State in the future, Mettauer would be thrilled.
“It would be a blessing to receive an offer,” he said. “I take all offers very seriously and none for granted.”
Brown decommits four days after OSU visit
Even though 2022 four-star quarterback Devin Brown was committed to USC at the time, that didn’t stop Ohio State from offering him in October. Considering the Trojans are currently without a head coach, there was a distinct possibility Brown would flip somewhere – and on Wednesday night, that possibility became greater, as Brown announced his decommitment.
Thank you USC for everything. No lost love. pic.twitter.com/ZLwvaH5iSc
— Devin Brown (@dbrownqb33) November 25, 2021
After Quinn Ewers reclassified from 2022 to 2021, the Buckeyes are hoping Brown will flip to Ohio State. Brown, a 6-foot-3, 189-pound prospect from Utah, made the trek to Columbus on Saturday to watch OSU’s contest against Michigan State. He talked to Dennis for a big duration of his visit, especially in the hour leading up to kickoff.
Brown told 247Sports he loved his visit.
“We weren't on campus for the longest time, but we got everything we needed and saw everything we needed to see,” Brown told 247Sports. “We got to meet with the coaches and sit down with them for a while, which was really good. The atmosphere was crazy and the gameday environment was so electric. The tradition there was really cool and we had an awesome time. I loved it out there.”
In 14 games for Corner Canyon High School (Draper, Utah) this season, Brown threw for a Utah single-season state record 4,881 yards and 57 touchdowns. He’s ranked as the fifth-best quarterback and the No. 59 overall prospect in the 2022 class, per 247Sports’ composite rankings.
Even after his decommitment, Ohio State’s chances of landing the talented prospect are uncertain. After seeing what Stroud has done this season, who wouldn’t want to play in this offense? Of course, the quarterback room is crowded with Stroud back for another year along with Ewers, Kyle McCord and Jack Miller III, barring any potential transfers. The timing of the decommitment could be a good sign for the Buckeyes, though, and Brown seems to be well-aware of the situation he’d be entering into in Columbus.
“A big thing was talking about their QB room and with the transfer portal now, that's never going to look the same anywhere,” Brown told 247Sports. “I'm not scared to compete. At the end of the day I'll go wherever is the best fit for me and if there's competition, there's competition. I feel like I'm at my best when there's competition.”
In addition to Ohio State, Brown has visited Ole Miss, Texas, USC, BYU and UCLA this fall.
Sammy Brown will return to OSU
One of several players who received an offer from Ohio State after visiting for the Buckeyes’ final home game of the season against Michigan State was Georgia linebacker Sammy Brown.
Brown, who is currently ranked as the fifth-best player and the top linebacker in the 2024 cycle, visited OSU with his father, Mike. Mike told 247Sports this week that his son enjoyed his time in Columbus.
After a great visit and weekend, I am honored to receive an offer to play football at Ohio State University! @CoachWash56 @ryandaytime @etwill21 @Mansell247 @ChadSimmons_ @SWiltfong247 pic.twitter.com/zBzx6upXyM
— Sammy Brown (@sammybrown_) November 20, 2021
“They offered Sammy (Saturday) morning,” Mike told 247Sports. “We were ecstatic, hearing he has an opportunity to play at a school like that. And we had the game and the gameday experience.”
The elder Brown told 247Sports they plan to visit Ohio State again, but did not specify when. Other schools that have already offered Brown include Georgia, Auburn and South Carolina, among others.
