The Florida Gators currently have eight verbal commitments in the 2025 recruiting class, with several key targets expected to announce their decisions in the coming weeks. One of their top targets, Orlando (Fla.) Jones four-star wide receiver Vernell Brown III, has set his commitment date for July 21.
Brown’s four finalists are Florida, Florida State, Miami, and Ohio State.
As a legacy target with multiple family members having played for Florida, Brown has become a priority for the Gators. His talent and family ties have made him especially appealing. Last season, as a junior, Brown caught 70 passes for 1,363 yards and 10 touchdowns, adding four more scores on special teams.
Florida’s wide receivers coach Billy Gonzales, who has a history of developing players from college to the NFL, has been leading the recruitment. Gonzales has provided Brown with a detailed look at his coaching pedigree, which aligns with Brown’s aspirations of playing professional football.
“We sat down, and he showed me a presentation of what his plan for me is,” Brown said of that pitch. “People talk about it all the time, but it was good for him to actually show me. They have some big plans. They don’t compare me to a single player, but there are similar playstyles like with Kadarius Toney, Percy Harvin, and Tre Wilson. I’m unique, so the plan they have is individualized to me.”
Having grown up around UF’s program, Brown knows Gainesville and UF’s campus intimately. He’s also taken several visits to the campus as a prospect, including an official visit last month. During this visit, he got extra time around the players, giving him deeper insight into the program and what the Florida brand could do for him.
“When you get a chance to be around certain players, you get to hear different experiences,” Brown said. “Tre Wilson, who generally has the perfect experience, to someone else still working their way up, it was good. I didn’t hear anything bad and all the players are enjoying it, which is a big selling point for coach Napier and his staff talking about the player experience.”
As his decision date approaches, the Florida Gators hold the majority of predictions on the 247Sports Crystal Ball.
The 247Sports Composite, an industry-generated average, currently ranks Brown as a five-star prospect and the No. 25 overall player in the 2025 recruiting class.
