5-Star DE Prospect Brenan Vernon Commits to Notre Dame over Ohio State

Highly touted defensive lineman Brenan Vernon committed to Notre Dame on Tuesday, announcing his decision on Twitter.

Vernon is the No. 18 overall player in the 247Sports Composite rankings for the 2023 class. He's also the sixth-best defensive lineman.

His decision comes as a bit of a surprise since five experts on 247Sports pegged the Mentor, Ohio, native to stay close to home and join Ohio State.

The 6'5", 245-pound standout spoke highly of Notre Dame after having made a visit to South Bend, Indiana.

"I love Notre Dame," he said to Bucknuts' Bill Kurelic. "As soon as I stepped foot on campus, it just kind of felt like I fit in. I felt it click, especially with the staff there, the guys like Marcus Freeman, Chad Bowden, coach Elston, such amazing guys down there. They make me feel like I fit in, like I’m family."

Gabe Brooks of 247Sports described Vernon as "tall and long-levered with tons of frame space moving forward," adding he could line up at multiple positions along the line at the next level.

Beyond the home-state connection, Ohio State seemed like an obvious choice for Vernon considering how well the Buckeyes have developed defensive linemen. Nick Young, Joey and Nick Bosa are the most obvious examples, while Tommy Togiai, Sam Hubbard, Dre'Mont Jones and Tyquan Lewis were all early to mid-round draft picks in recent years.

The Athletic's Pete Sampson explained what Vernon's commitment could mean in the bigger picture:

Tom VanHaaren of ESPN also explained how the hiring of defensive coordinator Marcus Freeman is already paying dividends:

Freeman was a star linebacker at Ohio State before working his way up the coaching ladder. He had been Cincinnati's defensive coordinator for four seasons until taking the same role with the Fighting Irish.

OSU will almost certainly continue to dominate the Ohio high school recruiting landscape, but peeling off one or two blue-chip recruits every year could be big for Notre Dame.