Ohio prospect Dorian Brew is a rare breed.
More often than not, Ohio State doesn’t recruit a prospect for more than one position, but the Buckeyes believe so highly in the four-star 2025 two-way player from Clayton that both Perry Eliano and Brian Hartline are helping to recruit him as both a wide receiver and defensive back.
“Dorian is a very, very good defensive back because of his ball skills and his athleticism,” Northmont High School coach Tony Broering told Eleven Warriors. “Now, to play in a place like Ohio State, obviously, he needs to work on his technique. “Offensively, it's kind of the same situation. He can get any 50-50 ball that you throw up. In some days of practice, just for fun, I'll just throw it up and see who can get it, and he gets it every time.
“So once he harnesses that with some offensive route running technique, which he's good at, you know, just to play at that elite level, he needs to keep working on his techniques. He needs to keep working on those techniques. I tell all the recruiters when they ask me, ‘Well, he can play whatever he wants.’ He's that good. He would be our best running back. He would be our best linebacker. He's our best guy, and he’s very, very gifted.”
Last season for Northmont High School, Brew caught seven passes for 143 yards and made 10 tackles with two interceptions and six pass deflections. At 6-foot-2, 185 pounds, Brew primarily lined up as an outside receiver.
Brew has visited Ohio State multiple times, visiting for a gameday experience at the Iowa game and also in late January, where he left campus with an offer from the Buckeyes.
“It was a big deal for their family,” Broering said of Brew picking up an Ohio State offer. “But also just like any kid, you know, to get that offer is a big, big deal if you live in Ohio. He's a big-time recruit.”
WOW!! Blessed to receive my 13th D1 offer from THE OHIO STATE UNIVERSITY @brianhartline @Coach_Eliano pic.twitter.com/uxBdOy9Qn2
— Dorian Brew (@BrewDorian15) January 21, 2023
Broering is in his 33rd year of coaching high school football and said Brew is in an elite handful of high-caliber players that he’s coached in the past, including former Ohio State wideout Dee Miller and former OSU running back Brandon Saine. Brew has played on varsity since he was a freshman, speaking to his talent level.
“That’s who Dorian reminded me of as a freshman,” Broering said of Miller in particular. “Freshmen usually don’t get a great choice of varsity numbers, but I held No. 15 back because that was Dee’s number. Right away, I knew he was going to be a big-time kid.”
The 6-foot-2, 185-pound standout from Englewood, Ohio, is the son of Donica Merriman, an Ohio State Athletics Hall of Famer in track and field. Brew is no slouch himself on the track, as he’s recorded a 4.4-second laser time in the 40-yard dash. Broering is also the track coach at Northmont and said Brew’s speed is something to behold.
“Last year in track, I saw him do some things that were just unbelievable,” Broering said. “And that's the thing with Dorian. We don't even know what his best race is yet. He loves the 100. He likes being the anchor on the relay – all kids do. But I mean, he's just scratching the surface of what he can do in the 200 and 400. And those things make you faster. You know, there are a couple of ways you can get faster in life. And one of them is to run fast and train fast. And so that's all we do in the spring.”
Per 247Sports’ composite rankings, Brew is considered the 52nd-best player nationally and the 13th-ranked wideout in the 2025 class. Other schools that will be heavy contenders for Brew will likely be Notre Dame and Michigan.
Broering complimented both Hartline and Eliano as recruiters, mentioning he’s known Hartline for so long that he coached him in an All-Star game back when Hartline was in high school and knows Eliano well from when the safeties coach was coaching at Cincinnati and recruited Northmont heavily.
“I told Dorian, ‘If you go up there, either guy you play for is gonna get you where you want to be,’” Broering said. “ Because Hartline can get you to the next level because he’s been there and done that. When I first started coaching Dorian he also reminded me of Sauce Gardner, who Perry coached at Cincinnati. Either way he decides to go, or they decide to go (in regards to his position), it’s going to be ultra-successful for him. I think he’s just starting to get to know those guys and is a little starstruck. It’s hard for a sophomore to absorb all that and take it in at first.”
Nigel Smith puts Ohio State on top 16
An Ohio State defensive end target narrowed down his recruitment on Tuesday — well, maybe not that much, but alas. Four-star Texas prospect Nigel Smith released a top 16 consisting of Ohio State, Georgia, Oregon, Arkansas, Oklahoma, Texas A&M, Texas Tech, TCU, Rutgers, Penn State, Notre Dame, Miami, Tennessee, Alabama, Texas and Prairie View A&M.
What yall think https://t.co/WXmrcp5WUl
— Nigel Smith (@NigelSmith_25) February 8, 2023
Smith has visited Ohio State numerous times in the spring, summer and fall, including for the Buckeyes’ 2022 season opener against Notre Dame. He told Eleven Warriors in January he “definitely” will be back in Columbus sometime for an official visit, but said he was unsure of when that would occur.
KingJoseph Edwards will visit Ohio State for the spring game
Another Ohio State defensive end target continues to remain high on the Buckeyes, as four-star Georgia prospect KingJoseph Edwards told 247Sports he plans on visiting campus for the Buckeyes’ spring game in April.
Edwards has also been to Columbus multiple times, most recently for the Notre Dame game. Ryan Day and Larry Johnson both made stops to Georiga in October to check in on him and several other southern players. The 6-foot-5, 242-pound prospect has previously announced a top five of Ohio State, Georgia, USC, Alabama and Texas.
