Florida football recruiting: Five-star WR Vernell Brown III commits as legacy joins Gators

Football

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The Florida Gators needed a home run to boost their Class of 2025; they got a grand slam. Five-star wide receiver Vernell Brown III (Orlando, FL) committed to the Gators on Sunday, immediately becoming the top prospect in a still-growing class for next season.

Brown (5-foot-11, 170 pounds), the No. 25 player in the nation per the 247Sports Composite, committed to Florida over Ohio State, Florida State and Miami. He is ranked as a four-star prospect (No. 36 overall) on 247Sports’ internal rankings but should be expected to continue rising throughout his senior season of high school.

If his name sounds familiar, of course, it should be. Brown is the grandson of former Gators star Vernell Brown Sr. and son of former Florida cornerback Vernell Brown Jr., a one-time captain who played 45 games for the program from 2001-05 and was once dubbed the “Face of Florida Football” by former head coach Urban Meyer.

Vernell Brown Jr. rejoined Florida as a staffer in 2018 and presently serves as the senior director of player development and alumni relations, a promotion he received upon the hiring of head coach Billy Napier.

The younger Brown is an elite talent with top-tier athleticism and game-breaking speed. He is a similar weapon to sophomore WR Eugene Wilson III and will likely play immediately upon enrollment as a true freshman in 2025.

Brown was the Gators’ highest-rated target for whom the program was believed to be a finalist, though there are still five months until the early National Signing Day and many prospects are waiting to see how Florida performs on the field before they decide whether it should be a true option.

His commitment pushed the Gators up six spots to No. 62 in the 247Sports Composite team rankings. Florida’s low ranking is because it only has 10 commitments, at least two but as many as 12 fewer than every team ahead of it at this juncture in the recruiting cycle.