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2023 2023 In-State Players to Watch

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HotMic said:
Ellis CB’ed him to Ohio State today.

https://247sports.com/Player/Brenan-Vernon-46086824/
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THE HURRY-UP: CORNERBACK JAYLIN DAVIES COMES OFF THE BOARD, AN INTRODUCTION TO RISING IN-STATE SOPHOMORE DEFENSIVE END BRENAN VERNON

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AN INTRODUCTION TO VERNON
Obviously, Ohio State’s top priority is closing out its 2021 class with a bang, with the five highest remaining uncommitted targets being J.T. Tuimoloau, Tywone Malone, Emeka Egbuka, Jager Burton and Davis (probably in that order).

They are also keeping a keen eye on the 2022 class, as steady and thorough film evaluation continues on that front before they are able to start making stronger pushes there.

But the coaching staff is also looking at the horizon toward the 2023 class, especially toward in-state prospects, as the relationship-building process begins very early with the best players in the state.

This weekend, we are introducing two key in-state names to get to know early on in this process, as you are likely to hear about these two players quite a bit in the years ahead.

Today, we are looking at Mentor rising sophomore Brenan Vernon, a strongside defensive end with nine offers to his name already from Duke, Indiana, Kent State, Kentucky, Michigan, Michigan State, Nebraska, Notre Dame and West Virginia.



Vernon is a 6-foot-5, 245-pounder who has a quick get-off at the snap, great lateral quickness and great athleticism, especially for his age. There is a lot of chatter already that Vernon could be the top-ranked player in the state of Ohio by the time he is a junior or a senior, and if he does earn that billing, he would join Zach Harrison (2019) and Jack Sawyer (2020) as recent in-state defensive ends to earn the No. 1 spot in the state. Vernon says he is aware of those expectations, but he is not letting those burden him.

“I definitely feel pressure, but I like to just stay in my own little zone and just worry about myself,” Vernon told Eleven Warriors. “I try not to worry about what's going on with others in the football community. I'm just worried about myself and the work I’m producing.”

Vernon touches base with Ohio State director of football relations Tim Hinton and defensive line coach Larry Johnson every week, as he and Johnson continue building a relationship that started last summer at a one-day Ohio State camp. Johnson worked with Vernon at that camp, critiquing and correcting technique in how Vernon was using his hips and upper body, and he showed Vernon some hand-throwing techniques, as well.

Johnson and Co. have not yet offered Vernon, but it feels like it’s only a matter of time before that occurs.

And while it's still very early in the recruiting process for Vernon and he has yet to get enveloped in the craziness of it all, he is already heeding advice on how to handle himself when things do begin to ramp up. He says some weeks are more hectic than others when it comes to recruiting.

“The biggest advice I get is from my coaches,” Vernon said. “When times get rough, they'd really be the ones stepping in and getting me in a right state of mind when it comes to all this.

“They’ve said to just do your thing and let the recruiting take care of itself, meaning don't mess your head up by continuously thinking of it and stressing about it.”



Entire article: https://www.elevenwarriors.com/ohio...-an-introduction-to-rising-in-state-sophomore
 
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CARTER COULD BE NEXT UP IN OHIO
Recently speaking, first came Reid Carrico in the 2021 class. Then came Gabe Powers in the 2022 class. Both standout in-state linebackers who garnered early interest from Ohio State, built early relationships with the Buckeyes and eventually committed to the Buckeyes as blue-chip linebackers.

The next in-state prospect to possibly follow in their footsteps is 2023 standout Trevor Carter, a 6-foot-1, 190-pounder listed as an athlete but who, right now, looks like he is headed for a career as a linebacker.

“As of right now I think I have a lot of growing left to do, but I think I will either end up playing safety or outside linebacker at the next level,” Carter told Eleven Warriors previously. “I think college coaches like my size, speed and strength for my age. I also think that they see a lot of potential in what I will become in the next couple of years in high school.”

Carter is Carrico’s teammate at Ironton High School, and Carrico says he has been able to share his extensive experiences with Carter and dish out advice on the recruiting process.

“Mostly, I’ve been helping him with the recruiting thing because small-town kids don’t usually get the attention that we’ve got,” Carrico told Eleven Warriors recently. “So you get all these schools starting to send you mail and stuff like that or coming to contact you with the coaches and all that, and you’re just an underclassman. That’s a lot to handle.

“Pretty much, I’ve been telling him to stay calm and don’t lean to any schools quite yet. Even if you’re a fan of UK or something, don’t be leaning toward UK right now just because you don’t know yet. You haven't been able to go on any visits.”



Carrico’s advice is not limited to only the recruiting process, but also getting him comfortable at the linebacker spot.

“He played a little bit of ‘backer in junior high, but he played safety last year,” Carrico said. “Still getting him warmed up to that. Trevor’s a good athlete. He needs to develop a little bit, same as I did. It’s up to him to go as far as he wants to go.”

As we reported in June, Carter’s weight room numbers have continually increased this summer – “We get after it pretty hard in there,” Carrico said – as he continues to try and work his way into becoming the standout all-around player at Ironton that Carrico is.

“I can tell you that I’ve learned a lot from (Carrico). He’s the hardest working guy on the team, and he plays every play 110 miles per hour,” Carter said. “He never lets up and doesn’t stop until we’re up by 40. He’s a great kid overall and an amazing role model for kids like me or younger. He’s taught me to work hard and give great effort in everything that I do, and I think that has helped me to get to where I am right now.”
 
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