December 5, 2024
Former Wildwood Football Standout Vernell Brown III Signs With University of Florida
By Kyle Coppola
Former Wildwood Football Standout Vernell Brown III Signs With University of Florida
Orlando, Fla. – Vernell Brown III, a former standout at Wildwood Middle High School and most recently Jones High School, has officially signed his commitment letter to play football for the University of Florida. Brown, a versatile wide receiver known for his speed and playmaking ability, celebrated his commitment during a ceremony attended by family, friends, and coaches.
(Vernell Brown III does the gator chomp after signing his commitment to UF. Photo Credit – Vernell Brown Jr.)
Brown began his high school career at Wildwood Middle High, where he quickly emerged as one of the team’s most dynamic players. Brown played as a 7th grader and was an instant star. By his 8th grade season he played in all 11 games including a touchdown catch as a middle school student one of the rare accomplishments at at the high school level. As a freshman and sophomore, he excelled. His freshman year he had 498 all purpose yards and 7 touchdowns. He would accumulate 11 touchdowns with Wildwood and 4 interceptions during the course of his career earning recognition for his athleticism and football IQ. After transferring to Jones High School in Orlando for his junior season, Brown continued to excel.
(Vernell Brown is an absolutely incredible athlete. Photo Credit – Hudl.)
For his senior year he left no doubt why he is among the top wide receivers in the nation. This year with Jones, Brown III has 1,364 yards receing and 11 touchdowns which equals his total at Wildwood his first four years.
(Vernell Brown III makes it offical and becomes the latest member of the Brown family to sign his commitment to UF. Photo Credit – Vernell Brown Jr.)
Vernell has always been a special player with a relentless drive to succeed, we’re incredibly proud of what he’s accomplished and look forward to seeing him thrive at the next level of the game.
At Jones, Brown has played a pivotal role in the team’s drive for a state championship. They are currently as of this writing in the State Semifinals and will take on Naples High on Friday at 7:30pm. If they win they will be headed to the Class 4A State Championship next week.
“I’ve always dreamed of playing for the Gators,” said Brown during the signing ceremony. “The opportunity to continue my education and playing football in Gainesville is a blessing. I’m ready to put in the work to make my family proud.”
Brown’s commitment adds to a strong recruiting class for the Gators, who are aiming to build a roster that can compete for SEC and national championships. For UF getting a player like Vernell Brown III will be a huge help to their chances offensively next year.
Brown’s journey from Wildwood to Jones and now to the University of Florida has been fun to watch. This young man follows in the footsteps of his father Vernell Brown Jr. who played cornerback for the Gators from 2001-2005. His grandfather Vernell Brown Sr. also played for UF. His sister Kendall Brown also competes in Track & Field with UF.
On behalf of Sumter County congratulations to Vernell Brown III along with his family, friends, coaches and everyone who helped him get to this point. We can’t wait to watch his career progress.
Kyle Coppola was born in Newton, Massachusetts and received his Bachelor of Fine Arts in Communications from Curry College in 2016. After traveling to Florida on a family vacation, he decided he could not get enough of the warm weather and made the move from snowy Massachusetts to central Florida 8 years ago.
For the last decade Kyle has gained valuable experience in social media content creation, marketing and sales, writing, video production, sports announcing and even broadcasting for local radio stations, such as FM 102.9 in The Villages and FM 91.5 in Massachusetts. Every year he volunteers at The Villages Charter High School as a play-by-play sports announcer for the football games as well as a public address announcer for the basketball games, including the annual Battle at The Villages Tournament.
Outside the office Kyle is a husband and father to two beautiful girls along with their cat. In his spare time he likes to spend time with his family, travel, play golf and swim. He is also a huge sports junkie and even bigger motorsports fan and loves to attend racing events when he can.
