5-star Ohio State WR Brandon Inniss courted by Deion Sanders, could wait to sign

One of the nation’s top recruits could wait until February to finalize things with the school of his choice.

Ohio State Top247 wide receiver commitment Brandon Inniss He told 247Sports after Friday night’s state semifinal win that he’s taking it hard not to use the Early Signing Period, waiting to see what happens with the Buckeyes assistant. Brian Hartline, who has been linked to the coaching opening in Cincinnati. Inniss is the No. 3 receiver and No. 22 player in the 2023 class according to the 247Sports Composite.

Another interesting twist?

Inniss was available by phone earlier this week Deion Sanders.

“People say when things happen you learn from your mistakes and I learned that at Oklahoma when he was the coach before. [Lincoln] Riley left, I knew he had to do what was best for him,” Inniss said when asked about the latter. “I wouldn’t be upset if Coach Hartline went and did what was right for his family, I know in the end he has to put them in a better situation. So I’m going to wait until February to sign, to let everything play out and be 100 percent sure where he’s going to be.”

If it becomes clear in the next three weeks that Hartline will stay in Columbus, could that lead to Inniss signing early?

Maybe

“I want to make sure,” Inniss said. “Be 100 percent. I don’t want to leave any doubt. I mean crazy things happen in this world. It could change from day to day. I want to make sure, because it’s the best in the country.”

Back to Coach Prime.

Inniss has never expressed much interest in Jackson State (at least publicly), but he doesn’t look like Sanders —Preparing to accept the head job in Colorado– No. 1 recruit in the nation to play at HBCU.

“He was like, ‘Man, I’m telling you I’m going Power Five and he basically wants you to join me,'” Inniss said.

Inniss has met Sanders before, as he was named MVP Sanders’ Prime 239 7-on-7 tournament Back in February 2020.

“I took a picture with him and he told me I didn’t stop working,” Inniss recalled. “It’s ACHRUTZA that I would definitely listen to because I like to take knowledge from everyone.”

As for other schools courting Inniss, he said he is still in communication with Miami and Alabama, among others.

The Hurricanes had representatives at American Heritage on Friday night, which marked the first day of the December contact period. Hartline joined them on the sidelines, spending some time in the stands with Brandon’s mom, Amy Flinton.

“This is amazing because a guy like that never stops recruiting. I’m committed to him, I don’t know how long and because he came down here, he could have gone anywhere else tonight, but he came down here to see me and my teammate. [2026 wide receiver] Malachi Toney, who was just offered last week. I’m blessed,” Inniss said.

Inniss was in Columbus last week for the Michigan game. He hung out with Ohio State’s Carnell Tate and other high-profile pass catchers.

“We all felt the vibe,” Inniss said. “We all know what it’s going to feel like to be there next year and we can’t miss it. Coach Hartline sent us the message [after the loss] and he made it clear that we do not lose. So next year we will get it right.”

Inniss is currently ranked as the nation’s No. 3 wide receiver by 247Sports and the No. 19 prospect in the 2023 class. takes it as a general view. In Plantation (Fla.) American Heritage’s 21-14 win over Jacksonville (Fla.) Bolles had 56 catches. He passed for 1,095 yards and 13 points.

“It feels amazing,” Inniss said of where his team will face Miami Central in the Sunshine State’s 2M title game. “We worked for this all summer. We have been grinding since we lost to Central last year. My quarterback [ULM commit Blake Murphy] -He did everything right to come back [from injury]. He wanted to be a better leader this year and I think we all came together better as brothers and that’s why we’re going to states.”