One of the nation’s top high school football players might not finish his prep career in central Ohio after all.
Jamier Brown, a five-star receiver who has committed to Ohio State, was seen practicing Aug. 4 at his former high school, Huber Heights Wayne, more than six months after transferring to Big Walnut.
Wayne coaches declined comment on Brown’s status, including clarification of his eligibility, to a Dayton Daily News reporter who saw Brown with the team and took at least two photos and a video of the future Buckeye.
Big Walnut coach Curtis Crager declined comment on Brown’s status to The Dispatch.
“I am not at liberty to speak about the matter,” Crager said.
Responding to an email asking for Brown’s status, Big Walnut superintendent Ryan McLane wrote: “I think Coach Norman Dale said it best in the movie Hoosiers. ‘My team is on the floor.’ ”
The Dispatch also left messages seeking comment from Ohio High School Athletic Association director of media relations Tim Stried, Big Walnut athletic director Brian Shelton and Huber Heights City Schools officials. Brown did not respond to two messages from The Dispatch sent via social media.
Brown transferred to Big Walnut in January after amassing 2,556 receiving yards and 3,875 all-purpose yards the past three seasons at Wayne with 36 total touchdowns. He committed to the Buckeyes in November 2024.
Brown also excelled on the track, winning 100-meter state championships each of the past two years – in Division I for Wayne in 2025 and Big Walnut this past spring – as well as the 200 and the 400 relay this past spring in leading the Golden Eagles to a share of the Division II team championship with New Philadelphia.
The OHSAA told The Dispatch in July that Brown’s eligibility for the second half of the upcoming football regular season and the playoffs would be determined after Week 5. OHSAA rules dictate that transfers can only play the first half of the regular season in their sport, unless they meet a necessary exception.
Brown met an exception to participate in the entire track season, but the OHSAA told The Dispatch that Brown and his family would need to reapply for the same exception in the fall.
Brown is a five-star recruit per 247Sports but a four-star for Rivals, which ranks him third statewide regardless of position behind fellow Ohio State recruit Kellen Wymer – an offensive lineman from Liberty Center – and Michigan-bound cornerback Monsanna Torbert from Cincinnati Princeton.
(This story has been updated with additional information.)
Contributing: Dan Aulbach and Frank DiRenna
High school sports reporter Dave Purpura can be reached at dpurpura@dispatch.com and at @dp_dispatch on X.
This article originally appeared on The Columbus Dispatch: Ohio State WR commit Jamier Brown seen practicing at former high school
Reporting by Dave Purpura, Columbus Dispatch / The Columbus Dispatch
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By Dave Purpura, Columbus Dispatch | USA TODAY Network
