This time, he showed off new defensive back skills he said he worked on during a trip to Texas to see his father, Derrick, and work with private coach Jacory Nichols.
“A lot of people said I’m a great receiver, but I have great size and ability at corner,” Brew said. “There’s not a lot of corners my height, my speed and my ability. They were like I have the athleticism and so in the offseason they told me to work on my technique, and that’s what I did and I feel like I’ve strived a long way.”
He also shot up the recruiting rankings to become a consensus top 100 prospect for the class of 2025.
247Sports has tabbed Brew the No. 19 prospect in the country, and he is a five-star in 247Sports Composite rankings that aggregate rankings from multiple sources.
He is projected to be the No. 1 prospect in Ohio for his class and among the top five cornerbacks in the country.
Ohio State, Michigan and Notre Dame offered him scholarships in January with many more major colleges doing so after that.
Just since May 1, Brew has received offers from Penn State, Oklahoma, Oregon, Texas A&M and LSU.
“It’s been hectic a little bit,” he said. “I’m just taking everything in really.”
Brew caught seven passes for 143 yards last season, picked off two passes and broke up two more.
He is nowhere near choosing a school, but he did say he grew up watching Ohio State, LSU and Texas A&M.
His mother, Donica Merriman, is a Trotwood-Madison grad who was a national champion hurdler for the Buckeyes before spending four years on the professional circuit, and his father starred on the track at LSU before winning gold and bronze medals at the 2004 Olympics in Greece.
That is the source of his interest in the Tigers and Buckeyes, and he became acquainted with the Aggies while spending part of his childhood in Texas.
“But I’m not going to make decision for my mom or my dad’s school,” he said. “I’m trying to find the best fit for me.”
Recruiting figures to take a backseat to the Thunderbolts season that is right around the corner, but Brew said he plans to make some unofficial visits this fall.
Returning to Ohio State is a near-certainty given how close he lives to Columbus, and Brew said he could try to make it to games at Notre Dame and Michigan as well.
He’s also working on possibly seeing a game in the South if he and his dad can work out the logistics, perhaps on a three-day weekend trip to Texas.
When the time does come to start narrowing his college choices, Brew said he has a few things in mind that will be factors.
“First the relationship with the assistant coach,” he said. “A school that’s going to maximize my potential as a player and as a man, too, and a place with a great education.”
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