Missouri · L 17-45
No catches.
South Carolina · L 19-38
No catches.
Texas · W 27-24
No catches.
Georgia · L 8-27
No catches.
Brown has catches in 4 of Florida’s 8 games: none in the other 4.
Dashed line: 100 yards.
7 stories this week, from 5 outlets.
Florida football injury report: WR Vernell Brown III out for UF vs UGA
Gainesville Sun +1 Oct 31
Seen from behind the quarterback; numbers are yards past the line of scrimmage. The play text only says left, middle or right, so inside a lane marks are sorted, not placed. Of his catches with a spot in the play text: left 3, middle 4, right 7.
Vernell Brown III
The two seasons at Florida span two head coaches: Billy Napier and Jon Sumrall. On tape: 117 receiving yards and 14 rushing yards against Florida Atlantic, Week 1, 2026.
271 receiving yards · 17 catches · 2 receiving TD
Play style
Moves the chains on third down.
Closest statistical matches, adjusted for opponent strength.
from 5 outlets
Florida football injury report: WR Vernell Brown III out for UF vs UGA
Gainesville Sun +1 Oct 31 · 2 outlets
Talk is up: 7 stories this week, from 4 the week before.
from 19 outlets
Florida football injury report: WR Vernell Brown III out for UF vs UGA
Gainesville Sun +1 Oct 31 · 2 outlets
AL.com +1Auburn faces major special teams test against Florida’s Vernell Brown III: ‘He’s been dynamic’Sep 17Gainesville SunWhat happened to Florida football WR Vernell Brown III vs Ole Miss?Sep 26
ESPNFlorida to be without leading WR Vernell Brown III vs. MissouriOct 3
247SportsReport: Gators WR Vernell Brown III expected to return for Florida vs. GeorgiaOct 28247SportsFlorida vs. Georgia Friday availability report: Three players upgraded; Vernell Brown III downgradedOct 30
Saturday Down SouthVernell Brown III splits defenders, sprints 49 yards for Florida’s first TD of 2026Sep 5Saturday Down SouthFlorida’s Vernell Brown records back-to-back punt return for TDs in Week 2Sep 12
National Football PostVernell Brown III houses 2 punt returns, Florida routs CampbellSep 12
Orlando SentinelVernell Brown III’s 3-TD night leads Gators past Campbell with SEC play loomingSep 12
Locked OnJadan Baugh, Vernell Brown highlight Florida Gators on Locked On Top 100 ListAug 28
Naples Daily NewsFlorida football WR Vernell Brown III named SEC Special Teams Player of the WeekSep 14
LancasterOnlineNo. 8 Florida could have leading receiver Vernell Brown III for game at 25th-ranked MizzouSep 28
Florida GatorsVernell Brown III Named to the Jet Award Midseason Watch listOct 14Gainesville Sun +1Watch Vernell Brown III discuss the legacy of playing for Florida football and what it means - Sarasota Herald-TribuneSep 12
Sports IllustratedPregame Availability Report Reveals Statuses of Gators WRs Vernell Brown III, Bailey Stockton vs. MissouriOct 3Saturday Down SouthJon Sumrall says Vernell Brown III ‘doing everything in his power to play’ amid prolonged absenceNov 2Gainesville Sun +1How Vernell Brown III reignited Florida football in win over CampbellSep 12
CBS SportsVernell Brown III scores 3 TDs as Florida routs Campbell 52-3Sep 12247SportsFlorida GatorsESPNSports Illustrated +1AL.com +1Gainesville Sun +1Saturday Down SouthEach week: his team’s game, the stories about him that week, and the week’s biggest news headline.
Stories are headlines grouped by what they are about, counted through Nov 4.
Saturday Down SouthOct 31Saturday Down SouthOct 31
Yahoo SportsOct 31Sports IllustratedOct 29Swipe the table sideways for more columns.
Game log · Week-by-week
2026 season · 4 games
Swipe the table sideways for more columns.
| Wk | Opp | REC | YDS | AVG | TD | LONG | Note |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Wk 1 | W 66-21vs Florida Atlantic | 6 | 117 | 19.5 | 1 | 49 | Season-high 117 yds |
| Wk 2 | W 52-3vs Campbell | 3 | 43 | 14.3 | 1 | 24 | |
| Wk 3 | W 44-39@ Auburn | 5 | 86 | 17.2 | 0 | 37 | |
| Wk 4 | W 52-28vs No. 4 Ole Miss | 3 | 25 | 8.3 | 0 | 19 | |
| Total | 17 | 271 | 15.9 | 2 | 49 |
3 catches for 25 yards.
Not drawn: the play-by-play has 3 catches for 90 yards, the box score 3 for 25, so no play is placed until they agree.
5 catches for 86 yards. Florida threw to him on 5 of its 23 passes.
27-yard catch on 3rd and 12. First quarter, up 7-3. Converted.
4-yard catch on 3rd and 5. Second quarter, up 14-10.
37-yard catch. Third quarter, up 20-17.
Seen from behind the quarterback; numbers are yards past the line of scrimmage. The play text only says left, middle or right, so inside a lane marks are sorted, not placed.
3 catches for 43 yards and a touchdown. Florida threw to him on 4 of its 32 passes. All of it came before halftime of a 52-3 win.
24-yard catch. First quarter, up 7-3.
Seen from behind the quarterback; numbers are yards past the line of scrimmage. The play text only says left, middle or right, so inside a lane marks are sorted, not placed.
6 catches for 117 yards and a touchdown, his most this season. Florida threw to him on 7 of its 26 passes.
49-yard touchdown. First quarter, made it 7-0.
Seen from behind the quarterback; numbers are yards past the line of scrimmage. The play text only says left, middle or right, so inside a lane marks are sorted, not placed.
Week 1 · 2026
W 66-21
The plays that mattered most
303rd in receiving yards, among all 2,086 FBS players with a receiving row this season, any position
Ratings of the games shown run from -3 to +15 points against an average team (SP+ rating of each opponent).
Receiver profile · Targets, catch rate, and throw depth
How often he's targeted, and how well it works
Targets
208% of team targetsCatch rate
85%17 of 20 targetsBehind LOS · Negative air yds
Short · 0–9 air yds
Middle · 10–19 air yds
Deep · 20+ air yds
85% catch rate on 20 targets · 8% of the team's targets · 60% catch rate on 5 deep targets (20+ air yds).
Splits · Per-game
2026 season · 4 games
Home vs Road
| REC/g | YDS/g | YPR | TD/g | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Home3g | 4.0 | 61.7 | 14.0 | 0.7 |
| Road1g | 5.0 | 86.0 | 17.2 | 0.0 |
First half vs Second half
| REC/g | YDS/g | YPR | TD/g | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Weeks 1-74g | 4.2 | 67.8 | 14.8 | 0.5 |
Supporting cast · Scheme
Staff and system around the player
Head Coach
Jon Sumrall
Pass share
44.4%
246 pass / 308 run
Plays / game
69.2
8 games
Team sack rate
5.1%
277 dropbacks · PBP
Scheme: Run-leaning.
Player standing · 2026
About as many catches a game as a typical FBS receiver who plays every week.
Recognition
2026 outlook
Outside shot for All-SEC
Based on 2025: #33 of 58 SEC WRs
A base rate for the rank, not a forecast of this player: 15% of returning players who ranked #21 or lower at their position in their conference made an all-conference team the next season (95% confidence interval 13–17%).
2026 is in progress.
Coaching lineage · 2025–2026
3 coachesPlayed under 3 different head coaches: Billy Napier, Billy Gonzales, and Jon Sumrall. Multi-era developmental context.
