Matt Tamanini
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Two top-100 recruits have Ohio State in their final four, both schedule June visits
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Vernell Brown III | Andrew Ivins | 247Sports
Juen is going to be an explosive month on the recruiting trail.
The temperatures might be warming up outside, but that’s nothing compared to the recruiting trail as things are getting close to sizzling as official visits, new offers, and finalists are being thrown about by some of the most prized prospects in the country, and — as usual — the Ohio State Buckeyes are smack dab in the middle of many of those discussions.
On Wednesday, Ryan Day and his coaching staff learned that they had made the cut for two of the top prospects in the 2025 recruiting class, one on offense and one on defense. The offensive player — Orlando, Florida native Vernell Brown III — is a 5-foot-11, 170-pound wide receiver. Currently, he is ranked as the No. 70 player in the country, No. 10 WR, and 10th-ranked player from the Sunshine State according to 247Sports’ Composite Rankings.
The Buckeyes stand as the lone non-Florida school in his final four, joining the Florida State Seminoles, Miami Hurricanes, and Florida Gators. In March, Brown received two crystal balls to become a Buckeye from 247Sports national recruiting analyst Tom Loy and the service’s former director of recruiting Steve Wiltfong, however, now according to Loy, rumors suggest that he is leaning toward staying in state.
Nonetheless, anytime that Brian Hartline has an opportunity to land a top wide receiver, he has to be considered a frontrunner. Brown will take his first official visit to Columbus over Memorial Day Weekend and will follow that up with trips to Coral Cables, Gainesville, and Tallahassee in June. While no official commitment date has been set for Brown, he does anticipate making a decision shortly after completing his visits, according to 247.
On the defensive side of the ball, the Buckeyes are officially in the final four for 247Sports’ No. 47 player in the country Damien Shanklin. The Indianapolis native is an edge rusher who stands 6-foot-4 and weighs 230 pounds. Despite the fact that he received a crystal ball from Wiltfong last fall to become a member of the Notre Dame Fighting Irish, Marcus Freeman’s squad has not made Shanklin’s final quartet of schools.
The defensive end has decided to narrow his list to Ohio State, LSU, Tennessee, and Alabama. Shanklin will kick off his summer visits in Baton Rouge over Memorial Day Weekend before heading to Columbus on June 7, followed by Rocky Top and Tuscaloosa on the following weekends according to 247Sports.
Loy reports that once ND was eliminated, many onlookers expected that the Buckeyes would be in the lead and could even secure crystal ball predictions. However, while OSU is still very much at the top of the list, any of the final four could still walk away with his commitment. A decision for where Shanklin will play is expected shortly following all of his June visits.
Top-300 defensive lineman Trajen Odom has Ohio State in his top three schools, alongside Oregon and USC. However, perhaps more importantly, the Buckeyes join the Ducks in his mother’s top two. Despite picking up a crystal ball for the Trojans last month, Odom’s mom would prefer to see her son in Eugene or Columbus.
“She likes Oregon and Ohio State, she does. She trusts them,” Odom told 247. “For her specifically, the DL coach and head coach having her trust. She knows the plans they have me at those two schools.”
The North Carolina native will visit all three schools in successive weeks, starting in Columbus on June 7.
On Tuesday, 2025 offensive lineman Joshua Blackston confirmed that he will visit Justin Frye and Ohio State from June 21-23, according to 247. The Maryland native is a four-star prospect and the No. 379-ranked player in the country according to the Composite Rankings and also holds offers from Boston College, Cincinnati, Maryland, Michigan State, Pitt, Rutgers, Tennessee, and Virginia Tech.
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Matt Tamanini via our friends at Land-Grant Holy Land
Visit their fantastic blog and read the full article (and so much more) here
Vernell Brown III | Andrew Ivins | 247Sports
Juen is going to be an explosive month on the recruiting trail.
The temperatures might be warming up outside, but that’s nothing compared to the recruiting trail as things are getting close to sizzling as official visits, new offers, and finalists are being thrown about by some of the most prized prospects in the country, and — as usual — the Ohio State Buckeyes are smack dab in the middle of many of those discussions.
Can Brian Hartline Land Another Elite Wide Receiver?
On Wednesday, Ryan Day and his coaching staff learned that they had made the cut for two of the top prospects in the 2025 recruiting class, one on offense and one on defense. The offensive player — Orlando, Florida native Vernell Brown III — is a 5-foot-11, 170-pound wide receiver. Currently, he is ranked as the No. 70 player in the country, No. 10 WR, and 10th-ranked player from the Sunshine State according to 247Sports’ Composite Rankings.
The Buckeyes stand as the lone non-Florida school in his final four, joining the Florida State Seminoles, Miami Hurricanes, and Florida Gators. In March, Brown received two crystal balls to become a Buckeye from 247Sports national recruiting analyst Tom Loy and the service’s former director of recruiting Steve Wiltfong, however, now according to Loy, rumors suggest that he is leaning toward staying in state.
Who will it be ???@Hayesfawcett3 pic.twitter.com/UXVxCAI0ty
— Vernell "Trey" Brown III(@VB3_9) May 14, 2024
Nonetheless, anytime that Brian Hartline has an opportunity to land a top wide receiver, he has to be considered a frontrunner. Brown will take his first official visit to Columbus over Memorial Day Weekend and will follow that up with trips to Coral Cables, Gainesville, and Tallahassee in June. While no official commitment date has been set for Brown, he does anticipate making a decision shortly after completing his visits, according to 247.
Larry Johnson Fighting for Top-50 Edge Rusher
On the defensive side of the ball, the Buckeyes are officially in the final four for 247Sports’ No. 47 player in the country Damien Shanklin. The Indianapolis native is an edge rusher who stands 6-foot-4 and weighs 230 pounds. Despite the fact that he received a crystal ball from Wiltfong last fall to become a member of the Notre Dame Fighting Irish, Marcus Freeman’s squad has not made Shanklin’s final quartet of schools.
The defensive end has decided to narrow his list to Ohio State, LSU, Tennessee, and Alabama. Shanklin will kick off his summer visits in Baton Rouge over Memorial Day Weekend before heading to Columbus on June 7, followed by Rocky Top and Tuscaloosa on the following weekends according to 247Sports.
Loy reports that once ND was eliminated, many onlookers expected that the Buckeyes would be in the lead and could even secure crystal ball predictions. However, while OSU is still very much at the top of the list, any of the final four could still walk away with his commitment. A decision for where Shanklin will play is expected shortly following all of his June visits.
Quick Hits
Top-300 defensive lineman Trajen Odom has Ohio State in his top three schools, alongside Oregon and USC. However, perhaps more importantly, the Buckeyes join the Ducks in his mother’s top two. Despite picking up a crystal ball for the Trojans last month, Odom’s mom would prefer to see her son in Eugene or Columbus.
“She likes Oregon and Ohio State, she does. She trusts them,” Odom told 247. “For her specifically, the DL coach and head coach having her trust. She knows the plans they have me at those two schools.”
The North Carolina native will visit all three schools in successive weeks, starting in Columbus on June 7.
On Tuesday, 2025 offensive lineman Joshua Blackston confirmed that he will visit Justin Frye and Ohio State from June 21-23, according to 247. The Maryland native is a four-star prospect and the No. 379-ranked player in the country according to the Composite Rankings and also holds offers from Boston College, Cincinnati, Maryland, Michigan State, Pitt, Rutgers, Tennessee, and Virginia Tech.
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