SUNBURY — Jamier Brown isn’t the type to pound his chest.
Ohio’s top football recruit in the class of 2027 would rather let his performances speak for themselves.
And wow can they talk. If the state track meet was any indication, Brown’s performances speak volumes.
A five-star receiver and Ohio State recruit, Brown led Big Walnut to a share of the Division II state track title at the recently-concluded state meet at Ohio State’s Jesse Owens Memorial Stadium.
He won the 100-meter dash and broke his own state record in winning the 200. In-between, he anchored Big Walnut’s winning 4×100 relay team.
Of Big Walnut’s 41 team points — the Golden Eagles shared the team title with New Philadelphia — Brown accounted for 30.
Source Media caught up with Brown recently to talk about what has been a whirlwind year. Here’s what the nation’s No. 23 overall composite high school football prospect had to say:
You transferred from Wayne High School in Huber Heights to Big Walnut after the football season. Why?
I wanted a change of scenery and to be closer to Ohio State.
When God closes one door He always opens another and that’s what He did for me.
Have your new teammates been accepting of you?
They were very welcoming from the start. Everybody has been good, from teachers to students to parents.
Big Walnut has reached the Division II state semifinals each of the past two years. Quarterback Eli Stumpf is committed to Michigan State. Running back Nolan Buirley was Ohio’s Division II Offensive Player of the Year and recently committed to Northwestern. You were a Division I first-team All-Ohioan at Wayne after catching 73 passes for 1,009 yards and 10 touchdowns. With so much talent, what are expectations?
Competing for a state championship is the goal. We’ll take one game at a time, but the end goal is a state championship.
Ohio high school athletes are allowed to earn compensation off their Name, Image and Likeness thanks in no small part to the lawsuit your mother filed against the Ohio High School Athletic Association last fall. The OHSAA put an emergency referendum before member schools and the measure passed, making Ohio the 45th state to allow high school athletes to secure NIL deals. What are your thoughts on NIL and your place in changing the system?
With NIL, I felt like it was my turn to speak up because Ohio was just kind of behind other states. A lot of different people were getting rewarded off kids’ names. A kid who is working hard and doing everything he is supposed to is getting nothing. They should be able to get rewarded.
You plan to enroll early at Ohio State, meaning the 2026 track season was your final track season. Was there a greater sense of urgency for you this spring?
I mean, this was my last year of track so I just wanted to finish it out right.
You won a Division I state title in the 100-meter dash and finished second in the 200 as a sophomore at Wayne last year. What were your expectations for the track season this year?
My goal was just to show everybody that what I do is real. I feel like a lot of people doubted me early in the year. I try not to listen to people, but it’s good for me to prove to people what I do is real. I’m not a one-trick pony.
You dealt with a nagging injury all spring. Did you ever feel entirely healthy?
A lot of people don’t know I was battling a groin injury early in the year. I’d say I’m about 90 percent. It’s hard battling an injury I’ve never dealt with before.
You won the 100, anchored a come-from-behind win in the 4×100 relay and broke your own state record in the 200, but showed very little emotion afterward. Why no celebration?
I’m here to handle business. I’ve got high expectations so there isn’t any point in celebrating.
Competing against the best athletes in the state seems to bring out the best in you. That isn’t the case for every athlete. What is it about the bright lights that appeals to you?
I’m used to big stages. This was just another preparation day, another day to get better. My goal is to be my best self. Hopefully, I can continue to do that.
When you collected your medal for winning the 200, the public address announcer referred to you as Ohio’s sprint king. How did that sound?
It’s got a good ring to it. A lot of people didn’t think I would run track this year and when they found out I was, they didn’t think I would go as fast as I did last year. It was good to go out this way.
