NIL deals are now not just restricted to college players; even high school athletes are now joining the rat race. States like Florida, Arkansas, and Colorado stays aligned with better NIL opportunities for HS students. On the other hand, Ohio is one of six states, including Alabama, Indiana, Michigan, Mississippi, and Wyoming delays granting players the right to sign NIL deals until college. Amid this, one Ohio State 2027 WR commit prepares not to wait to go to college to sign deals.

It all started when Wayne High School’s Jamier Brown’s mother, Jasmine Brown, filed a lawsuit in Franklin County Common Pleas Court on Oct. 15 in her role as ‘parent or guardian’. To his luck, the court also granted a temporary restraining order against the OHSAA. Surprisingly, his plea just shifted the entire narrative for Ohio HS players.

As recruiting analyst Kaleb Longhurst hits X with the news: “NEWS: OHSAA is set to allow NIL. High school athletes in the state of Ohio can now profit off their name from NIL deals, per reports. The charge to NIL being allowed was led by Ohio State Commit 2027 Five-Star WR Jamier Brown and his family. Great work, @ShowTimee_23!!”

Interestingly, in 2022 the OHSAA 538-254 voted against allowing high school players to gain benefit from any kind of NIL deals. But after Brown’s plea, Franklin County judge Jaiza Page granted eligibility to sign deals to all high school athletes while maintaining their amateur status. Now, this rule will approximately last for 45 days, until December 15, when another hearing is scheduled. Until then, the ball is in the players’ court.

But what forced Brown to take such a bold step? Well, after receiving endorsement offers worth $100k, he was spurred to bring some change. In his plea, Brown made sure he highlighted how this outdated set of rules is impacting their growth. “OHSAA’s blanket ban not only singles out Ohio’s high school student athletes for unequal treatment, but it also unlawfully suppresses their economic liberties, freedom of expression, and restrains competition in the NIL marketplace,” the complaint said.

Being the no. 1 prospect from Ohio automatically draws attention, and grabbing an NIL deal is a part of it. Let’s not forget this guy is also a dominant player, as last year he threw for 1,035 yards and 15 TDs to his name. Even in 2023, he finished his freshman season with 31 catches for 512 yards. Now, a guy with that level of resume missing out on deals doesn’t really make sense.

Now, with Brown’s massive move, Ohio State continues to catch the eyes of high school recruits.

Ohio State top TE target seems locked in

Ohio State’s making sure its 2027 class has the best set of players; that’s precisely why, after Jamier Brown, they are now eyeing Illinois prospect Brock Williams. Best part? Even he seems eager to join the team, as Ohio State is one of the three finalists with Georgia and Texas on the line. What makes him perfect eye candy is his four-star backing with the status of No. 37 player in the country and No. 2 player at the tight end position according to 247 Sports.

Now, Williams is set to commit to one of the three teams by December, as he made it clear, stating, “I’m trying to aim around the first week of December. But we’ll see. I’m just trying to get it done. I just feel like once I know where I want to go, there’s no need to take all those official visits. I was raised better than that.” 

He further adds to it, talking about his mindset of not making visits to the programs: “Taking all those official visits when I know where I want to go, I just feel that’s disrespectful. Wherever I commit, I’m going to do a great job of recruiting kids and will want to get that started.”

Well, Williams making his move to Ohio State makes sense, as there’s still no TE commit so far in the team. They currently hold just three commits. This might allow him to make an instant impact. Let’s wait and see if Bucks can make it to the end with Williams or ends up losing him to SEC rivals.