UF lands its leading ’25 recruit in 4-star WR Brown

Eli Lederman, ESPN Staff WriterJul 21, 2024, 02:30 PM ET

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Eli Lederman covers college football and recruiting for ESPN.com. He signed up with ESPN in 2024 after covering the University of Oklahoma for Sellout Crowd and the Tulsa World.Four-star pass receiver Vernell Brown III, No. 53 in the ESPN 300, ended up being the highest-ranked member of Florida’s 2025 class when he dedicated to Billy Napier and the Gators on Sunday afternoon.Brown, a dynamic 5-foot-11 pass catcher from Orlando, Florida, is the seventh-ranked

pass receiver nationally in this cycle and the No. 8 prospect in the state of Florida in the 2025 class. He picked Florida over finalists Ohio State, Florida State and Miami following official visits to all four schools this spring.With Brown’s pledge, the Gators are now approximately four ESPN 300 potential customers devoted in the 2025 cycle with a pair of top-100 commits.Brown’s commitment continued a family tradition at Florida. He is the boy of former Florida defensive back Vernell Brown Jr., who appeared in 45 games for the Gators from 2001-05. The older Brown more recently served in off-field functions with the program from 2018-23, consisting of a stint as Florida’s senior director of player advancement, before going on to handle previous Gators quarterback and current Indianapolis Colts starter Anthony Richardson.Editor’s Picks 2 Associated In other places within the ancestral tree, Vernell Brown Sr. played protective back for the Gators from 1982-85. Vincent Brown, Brown’s uncle, played running back at Florida under Urban Meyer in

the late 2000s. The more youthful Brown is now the 10th prospect devoted to Florida in 2025 as Napier goes into a critical third season with the Gators carrying a record of 11-14 across 2 campaigns in charge.Brown signs up with a Florida class that includes ESPN 300 pledges in defensive end Jalen Wiggins(No. 63 in ESPN 300 ), running back Waltez Clark(No. 212)and wide receiver Joshua Moore (No. 257 ), as well as four-star pledges Myles Johnson

(No. 8 inside linebacker )and Jeremiah McCloud (No. 41 protective end ). Per ESPN rankings, Brown is the Gators’highest-ranked wide receiver devote because Florida landed Jacob Copeland in the 2018 class.A two-sport star at Orlando’s Jones High School, Brown has actually become one of the state’s most unsafe

playmakers in the death game and on special teams. Brown taken 70 passes for 1,363 yards and 10 goals while

including 4 return goals as a junior last fall. The fast pass catcher is likewise a two-time state qualifier in the triple jump.Brown’s dedication brings a much-needed boost to Napier’s 2025 class, which was not ranked among the leading 40 nationally in ESPN’s newest group rankings. As Napier stares down business end of the current cycle and one of the nation’s hardest schedules this fall, he

deals with an uphill reach bring a 2nd consecutive top-10 class to Gainesville in 2025.