Ohio State has missed out on one of its top wide receiver targets in the 2025 recruiting class.
Five-star wide receiver Vernell Brown III, the No. 25 overall prospect in 247Sports’ composite rankings for the 2025 class, announced his commitment to Florida on Sunday.
Ohio State was one of four finalists in Brown’s recruitment along with the Sunshine State trio of Florida, Florida State and Miami.
The Buckeyes appeared to have some momentum in Brown’s recruitment after his official visit on the first weekend of June. Brown told Eleven Warriors that he “really loved everything” about his official visit and that it “really opened my eyes.”
Florida was always going to be tough to beat in Brown’s recruitment, however. Brown grew up around the Gators because his father, Vernell Brown Jr., played cornerback for the Gators from 2001-05 and worked at Florida as senior director of student-athlete development and alumni relations from 2018-23. His grandfather, Vernell Brown Sr., also played for the Gators.
Ultimately, Brown chose to continue his family’s legacy, becoming the first five-star prospect in Florida’s 2025 recruiting class.
With Brown off the board, Phillip Bell becomes Ohio State’s top target to round out its 2025 receiver class. The four-star receiver from California is expected to choose between OSU and USC later this summer.
Another potential option to join Ohio State’s 2025 receiver class is Preston Bowman, who was offered by OSU in June just one day after he committed to Kentucky. The three-star receiver from Pickerington has said his commitment to Kentucky remains firm, but he’s been a frequent visitor to Ohio State throughout his high school career, giving the Buckeyes confidence they can flip him if they make an all-out push for him.
Brown was likely Ohio State’s final chance to add a five-star wide receiver to its 2025 class. Ohio State was seen as the frontrunner to land five-star Florida wideout Jamie Ffrench after his decommitment from Alabama in January, but the Buckeyes have seemingly faded in that recruitment as he chose not to make an official visit to Ohio State this summer.
Ohio State could still end up with a five-star wide receiver in the class if Quincy Porter’s ranking continues to rise, as the OSU commit from New Jersey isn’t far off from five-star status as the nation’s No. 45 overall prospect. He’s one of three 2025 wide receivers currently committed to Ohio State along with fellow New Jersey prospect De’zie Jones and three-star in-state prospect Bodpegn Miller.
