High School Football recruiting: Northmont standout top prospect in early ’25 class rankings

247Sports released its first full football recruit rankings for current high school sophomores, and a local player tops the list.

Dorian Brew, a 6-foot-2, 165-pound receiver and defensive back from Northmont, is not only the top-rated player in the area but No. 1 in the state at this early stage.

He is 20th in the nation, and it should come as no surprise to anyone who has seen his early scholarship offer list.

Ohio State, Michigan, Notre Dame, Texas and Florida State are among more than a dozen schools to extend Brew a scholarship offer, and he has visited several of those schools already.

Not that he is or needs to be in a hurry to make a decision.

“I’m still taking it in since I’m still young,” he told CoxFirst Media on Thursday. “I have a couple schools I’m looking at this summer like Texas, Notre Dame, Michigan, Ohio State and Florida State, but mostly this summer I want to focus on this upcoming season and getting to know our new defensive coordinator.”

When decision time does come, Brew said he will value the usual things.

“I’m looking for a place who’s feels like home, a school that’s going to develop me, and a good relationship with my position coach who’s going to coach me hard but have the same amount of love behind it, too,” he said.

Brew is one of two early four-star recruits in the area, joining Lakota West tight end Luka Gilbert.

They are among 10 local players in the rankings overall.

The others are Lakota East quarterback Jamison Kinta (No. 9 in Ohio), Trotwood-Madison offensive lineman Jermiel Atkins (11), Northmont defensive end Cedric Works Jr. (17), Northmont offensive lineman Jayden Clark (26), Wayne quarterback Tyrell Lewis (33), Wayne receiver Teaunn Hunter (37), Lakota West linebacker Grant Beerman (39) and Wayne defensive back Jussiah Williams-West (43).

Beyond this group, another dozen or more area sophomores already have reported interest from Division I FBS while the number of players garnering such interest in the 2024 class is around 30.

Here are more notes from the past couple of weeks on the recruiting trail:

  • Notably missing from the 247 rankings for 2025 prospects is Bellefontaine quarterback Tavien St. Clair. Rivals has rated St. Clair the No. 7 prospect in Ohio, and he has been a name to know for more than a year already. He recently reported picking up offers from Marshall and Minnesota and told he enjoyed a multi-day visit to the Twin Cities. “My parents were with on the trip and they liked it a lot,” he told GopherIllustrated.com of the 247Sports network. “It was definitely one of our best trips for sure. After seeing Minnesota now and earning an offer, I like them a lot. They’ve made a strong push to the top of my recruitment for sure. The feel there and the trust they have in me is unmatched. I think the plan is to come back to camp at Minnesota this summer, and this was the last of my spring visits, too.”
  • Brew and Gilbert were among many prospects to visit Ohio State last weekend for the Buckeyes’ spring game.
  • Gilbert also visited Tennessee last week and reportedly has offers from Ohio State, Kentucky, Pitt, Nevada and Connecticut while Beerman reported receiving his first Division I offer from Marshall. The Thundering Herd also offered Lakota West’s Cam Thomas, a class of 2026 prospect who also attended Ohio State’s spring game.
  • Javon Hammonds, a defensive end from Wayne, is one of the top five prospects in the area for the class of 2024 according to 247Sports, and he announced plans for two official visits this summer. He will go to West Virginia on June 10 then see Backyard Brawl rival Pitt on June 22.
  • Springfield junior Aaron Scott Jr., the No. 1-rated player in the state for 2024 by 247Sports, made a Pennsylvania swing last week, seeing Pittsburgh then Penn State. He named a top 12 earlier this month that includes both the Panthers and Nittany Lions as well as Ohio State and Michigan, two other schools he visit earlier in the spring.
  • Scott’s teammate and classmate Da’Shawn Martin also reported visiting the Panthers last week.
  • Northmont receiver Dalin Wilkins, ranked 39th in 247Sports Composite rankings for ‘24, received an offer from Liberty.
  • Thurgood Marshall running back Amare Lattimore (’24) picked one up from Colgate.
  • Toledo offered Hamilton defensive lineman Trey Verdon (’25).
  • Mike Smith, a ‘24 defensive back from Trotwood-Madison, visited Eastern Michigan for its spring game.
  • Gabe Funk, a ‘24 offensive lineman from Xenia, also visited Eastern Michigan recently as well as Cincinnati, where teammate Gavin Gerhardt was the starting center last season.

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