Vernell Brown III holds the WR-Y · Starter spot in Florida Gators’s wide receiver room. Where he sits among the room’s front-line roles:

Vernell Brown III logged a 8.2% overall usage rate in 2025.

Vernell Brown III, a 5'11" wide receiver from Jones High School in Gainesville, Florida, joined the Gators as a five-star recruit ranked 30th nationally in the 2025 class. In his true freshman season, Brown started six of ten games and led Florida with 40 receptions for 524 yards while serving as the team's primary punt and kick returner. He accumulated 122 yards on seven kickoff returns and 140 yards on twelve punt returns, totaling 773 all-purpose yards to rank fifth among true freshmen nationally. Brown became the first Gator true freshman ever to lead the team in both catches and receiving yards. He earned All-SEC Freshman honors at wide receiver, all-purpose, and return specialist—the first Gator to receive accolades in all three categories.

Florida2025 — present