Jones (Fla.) wide receiver Vernell Brown III is one of the most coveted playmakers in the nation.
The 5-foot-11, 170-pound receiver has more than 40 scholarship offers and is rated as the No. 25 overall recruit in the country by 247Sports as a five-star overall prospect.
Brown is scheduled to announce his school choice on Sunday at 2pm ET/11am PT from his four finalists: the University of Florida, Florida State University, the University of Miami and Ohio State University.
The race is seen as close primarily between Florida and Miami, but the Gators enter decision day as the clear favorite to win.
247Sports is betting four-fifths in favor of the Gators in all four of its most recent projections, and On3 projects the Gators have an 87.8 percent chance of securing his verbal commitment.
These percentages are consistent with what has been communicated in recent months.
Ohio State looked like the favorite to win in the spring, but by early summer Florida State was once again in the conversation as the top team.
The change doesn't seem so far-fetched considering Brown's father, Vernell Brown II, played for the Gators from 2001-2005.
Brown appears to be a Florida player through and through come signing day, and the Gators are banking on a contract that could change their recruiting class.
Still, Miami or another team could pull off a shocker.
We'll have to wait until Sunday afternoon to find out the answer.
What does the “winning” school get?
Brown recorded 70 receptions for 1,363 yards and 10 touchdowns as a junior, while also scoring four more on special teams (three on punt returns and one on kickoff return).
That explosiveness is a big feature of Brown's recruiting profile from 247Sports.
“Dynamic athlete with elite short-yardage agility and explosive movement patterns. Impacted the game in all three phases at the high school level and impressed at times as a defensive back, but has the most potential as a slot receiver, where his run ability after the catch allows him to create chunk plays. Dives his hips to create separation and eats up in-breaking routes as he drives quickly to weak spots in coverage. While he likely won't achieve a high success rate in true contested catch situations given his size, he has confidence in his hands and isn't afraid of contact. Given what we saw on tape as a junior and his ability to evade defenders both in tight areas and in the open field, he projects as a potential game-breaker on Saturdays based on the types of offensive weapons (screens, jet sweeps) that play-callers can use creatively. Would add great value as a returner.”
Overall, Florida's 2025 recruiting class currently consists of nine freshmen, giving it plenty of room to grow, and is ranked 68th nationally, but would jump to 60th with the addition of Brown.
