DBN exclusive interview: Ohio native and former Buckeye Jaelen Gill ready for Browns camp, talks offensive changes from last year and more

The wide receiver room has several open roster spots

The Cleveland Browns, under the current jurisdiction of head coach Kevin Stefanski and GM Andrew Berry, have traditionally kept six receivers each season after the final cuts have hit the fan. In this year’s training camp, expect Jerry Jeudy, Ced Tillman, and Jamari Thrash to count for three of these spots.

That leaves three remaining slots with 13 healthy bodies in the receiver room.

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Jaelen Gill did not sign a free agent contract with the Browns to come in and become a training camp body. He is in Berea to win a job. In fact, he expects to have his name inserted into one of the three available open positions in this year’s receiver group.

Gill (6’-0”, 185 pounds) is an Ohio kid. He was raised in Westerville, just a bit northeast of Columbus and went to Westerville South High School. He ran track, was a stud running back with the football team, and played baseball, his best sport. In fact, he came from a baseball family of cousins, uncles, plus his father all playing the game at some point. In his senior year, Gill had a .358 batting average as an outfielder and also pitched some.

And as good as he was in baseball, he was better at football.

Rivals.com rated him a four-star recruit and ranked him the #2 prospect in the State of Ohio and #37 in the nation. He had scholarship offers from just about every major college: Virginia Tech, Purdue, Pitt, Texas, Toledo, Michigan, LSU, Notre Dame, Oregon, Kentucky, Penn State, Tennessee, Duke, Oklahoma State, Cincinnati, Mississippi State, Arizona State, Michigan State, USC, Louisville, UCLA, Ohio State, Illinois, Nebraska, and Florida.

He received the offer from Kentucky during halftime of one of his high school games.

But baseball seemed to be his calling. Gill had been a member of a travel team called “The Ohio Elite Central,” which was the #2 U-14 team in the nation. He was an excellent base stealer and always the lead-off hitter. He was the MVP of the 2013 and 2014 Eastbay All-American games.

Gill raced in the 4×100 relays, where he was the anchor because of his closing speed. In his junior year, the team came inches from breaking the school record. In his senior campaign, they shattered it.

As good as he was in baseball, his first love was football. Gill was an amazing running back with great hands and was known for being shifty and elusive. In middle school alone, he rushed for over 2,500 yards and scored 42 TDs. Scouts started attending his high school games early and remained in the stands until his final game. He also played some safety, but it was his running skills that these major universities coveted. Gill rushed for 1,553 yards and 19 TDs as a sophomore, but was injured in his junior year.

Gill was considered one of the best all-around athletes nationally in his 2018 recruiting cycle. It seemed everybody wanted him.

He was the #37-ranked prospect in the ESPN Junior 300, an Army All-American Bowl honoree, and a Prepstar Dream Team member, ranked #29 overall.

RELATED: JAELEN GILL COMMITS TO OHIO STATE

He runs a 4.47 in the 40 with a 26.2” vertical jump. During his time with Ohio State, they switched him from running back to wide receiver. Gill explains why in the interview below.

His offensive college career stats: 53 games played, 136 receptions for 1,670 yards, nine touchdowns, a 12.3 yards per reception average, and 10 rushes for 24 yards. He also returned 53 kickoffs for 1,099 yards with a 20.7 yards per return average, plus 20 punts for 135 yards, and a 6.8 yards per return average.

Gill played two years at Ohio State before moving on to Boston College, and then finished out at Fresno State. He went undrafted in the 2023 NFL draft and signed as an undrafted rookie free agent with the Los Angeles Chargers, where he was released on the final cutdown despite being the leading rookie receiver in the preseason and having a very good camp.

His 2024 preseason stats with the Chargers: Game 1 vs. Seattle Seahawks – three kickoffs for 84 yards with a 28.3 yards per return average, two punt returns for 25 yards with a 12.5 yards per return average; Game 2 vs. Los Angeles Rams – two targets with two catches for nine yards, one kickoff for 27 yards, one punt return for 25 yards; Game 3 vs. Dallas Cowboys – one target, one catch for 18 yards, one kickoff return for 23 yards.

Later, the Browns signed him to their practice squad. After the season, he signed with the San Antonio Brahmas with just one week left in UFL training camp, but was not retained for the season. Instead, he re-signed with Cleveland.

Gill has the advantage of being a kickoff and punt return man, a position of great need on this year’s roster. His X is @jaelengill21 while his Instagram is @jaelen_gill21. He is currently unmarried and is a Christian.

Dawgs by Nature’s Barry Shuck was able to talk to Gill in between workouts to find out why he chose football over baseball, who exactly is “Bravo” and why he is in Berea, and how these new Browns quarterbacks look.

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DBN: In 2016, your high school 4×100 relay team almost set a school record, missing it by eight one-hundredths. But the very next year, your team shattered the record, which still holds up today. What leg were you, and take me back to the moment you realized that the record was broken.

Gill: I was the anchor. I had just gotten finished with baseball playoffs, and then went to this event and do my best and do my part with the relay team. We had come so close the year before, but I was excited when they told me later that we had beaten the school record. A good day with my brothers.

DBN: You were a tremendous outfielder in baseball. At some point, you must have thought that you would go this route in professional sports. Did you consider entering the MLB draft as a high school senior?

Gill: I definitely did. Baseball was just my natural sport. I didn’t have to work much in the off-season, it was just natural to me. My baseball coach started telling me that scouts were asking about me. It was on my mind to enter the draft. But football was my love. I was interested in doing both in college. But as far as the MLB draft, if I had gotten some indication that I would have been a first or second-round draft pick, I would have entered. But it wasn’t certain, so I focused on football instead.

DBN: Isn’t baseball a family sport?

Gill: My pops Rodney Gill was really good. Some cousins and uncles also played. My pops played in the minor league system. He played “A” and “AA” ball before he got injured. They didn’t deal with surgeries the way they do now.

DBN: In high school, you were a stud running back, ranked a four-star recruit, and rated the #2 football player coming out of Ohio. Why leave baseball to play college football?

Gill: I played a lot of sports and appreciated each one while I was playing that particular sport. Football was always where I put the most work in. I loved the football mentality of the game. Baseball was a different dynamic, but my heart was in football. It really wasn’t a question for me.

DBN: Your college football offers are a long list. Did you try to find a program that would allow you to play both sports?

Gill: I did a little bit. I remember talking to Dan Mullen of Mississippi State. He offered me to play football and said I had a chance to play baseball as well. I also took a baseball visit to Tennessee and was really interested in them.

DBN: Is it true that Pitt offered you a scholarship when you were in the eighth grade?

Gill: Wow. You really did your research. That was the first offer I had. That was when I was about to enter my freshman year of high school.

DBN: What were your final five schools to consider, and why Ohio State?

Gill: Tennessee, Ohio State, and I wanted to go out West, so USC and UCLA. And Michigan State. Being so close to Columbus, I grew up a Buckeyes fan. The way they recruited me, it was hard to say no. If I wanted to do something different, I realized I had my family right here. It was like a dream for me.

DBN: Ohio State recruited you as a running back, where you had been very successful, then they switched you to receiver. The Buckeyes didn’t use you much as you played in just eight games with seven catches. They recruited you hard, switched your position, and yet forgot about you. What was the issue? And did you consider going back to baseball?

Gill: A lot of people don’t know this. I was recruited by Urban Meyer. And he played a position they called the “H- back.” And it was Urban’s favorite position. K.J. Hill played that, and after he was going to leave, it was going to be my position. When Urban retired and Ryan Day took over, that position was phased out and made it into a true slot. After that, I was just another wide receiver. If I had gone anywhere else, I would have been in the running back room. Ohio State didn’t need any more running backs with J.K. Dobbins, All-ACC and All-American, and his backup Master Teague. Yeah, so once Urban left and I wasn’t a running back anymore, my position was gone. And as far as baseball, I didn’t think about returning at all. I was committed to football.

DBN: You made a decision to leave Ohio State. How many teams reached out to you when you entered the portal?

Gill: I have nothing but respect for the Ohio State program. Great people and I learned a lot, which are things I took with me. Maybe I could have done some things better on my end. In my sophomore year, I had a great spring and camp. I thought I played well, but for whatever reason, I didn’t get much playing time. Then COVID hit, and we didn’t know if we were coming back or when. And I was told when practices resumed, I would be third or fourth on the depth chart. I felt that wasn’t right, and so I made a decision to leave. I had quite a few teams reach out, and Boston College was one of the first. I had teams like Pitt, Penn State, and Baylor. I knew some guys who had gone to Ohio State who ended up at Boston College, and they were taken care of.

DBN: How were you able to get a waiver to play immediately for Boston College?

Gill: I left Ohio State on good terms. They knew I was a good dude. And the respect was mutual. Coach Day luckily signed off on it and made the process easier.

DBN: After the 2024 NFL draft, how many teams called your agent wanting you to sign a rookie free agent deal, and why did you choose the Chargers?

Gill: About six. There were several that had said they would take me in the later rounds. I needed more production in my last year in college. All I needed was the opportunity, and I got that with the Chargers. My agent and I looked at the roster and thought the receiver room with the Chargers would be a good place for me. I still think it was the best spot for me at the time.

DBN: What was your first NFL training camp like?

Gill: To me, it wasn’t anything tougher than being at Ohio State. They had a lot of talented players, and they practiced you hard. That did get me prepared for the NFL. A lot of guys coming to the Chargers had mentioned that this was the hardest training camp they had ever had. It was just normal to me. I was used to working hard each day and grinding. I think I stood out and had a good camp. I had graded out the highest out of all the rookie receivers. And for whatever reason, things just didn’t go my way.

DBN: What was your “welcome to the NFL” moment?

Gill: In training camp with the Chargers, we had a preseason game against the Rams. I was returning a kickoff, and went about 20 yards, then tried to cut, and this one guy had the angle as I turned to cut back, and hit me really hard. I had never been hit like that. I laughed about it when I got to the sidelines. Yeah, we here.

DBN: The first time you were signed by Cleveland was late last year, where you spent time on the practice squad. Then you signed with San Antonio of the UFL, but didn’t stay there long. What was their process of putting teams together like?

Gill: I was late with getting into the UFL because my agent was still talking to NFL teams and kept waiting for a call. And the UFL was in full swing and about to finish out their training camps and divide into rosters. I had one week and three practices. My last practice was a scrimmage with a lot of fights, so they just shut it down and cut it short. The practices were kinda long, but not too tough. I was the last guy they cut. They told me if I had been there longer, there was no doubt they would have kept me. I thought I did well, but once again, things didn’t go my way.

DBN: Growing up in Ohio, you must have been a Browns or a Bengals fan.

Gill: My family has always been Cowboys fans. Everybody in my family is either from New Jersey or New York. Half are Giants fans with a couple of Jets fans sprinkled in. The other half is Cowboys fans. You will meet Cowboys fans wherever you go. My pops was always a Cowboys fan, so that means I was a Cowboys fan.

DBN: Who were some of your favorite players growing up?

Gill: I liked Michael Vick a lot, Arian Foster, who went undrafted, and OBJ. With relatives who were Giants fans, we heard about OBJ all the time. And of course, that great one-handed catch of his was against the Cowboys.

DBN: You have been called “a versatile playmaker.” Your thoughts?

Gill: I can be just as effective no matter where they put me on the field. Over the top, inside or outside, put me in the slot, catch balls from the backfield, effective in the return game, and if I get open and get the ball into my hands, I can make things happen.

DBN: Being a punt return man, the Browns’ punter Corey Bojorquez is left-footed. Does the ball spin the opposite way?

Gill: It definitely rotates a different way. It’s just something you have to get used to. We have to work with it in practice. It wasn’t easy the first time I started catching them when I first got to the Browns. It spins in the opposite direction, and Bojo has such great height that the ball is really spinning hard when it comes down.

DBN: What have you seen from this Browns’ offense during your time on OTAs and mini-camp?

Gill: A lot of urgency in trying to get things going. OTAs without pads were limited, but you can see that this offense is going to be able to move the ball and score points. I thought we did well throwing the ball, and I think we are going to surprise some guys with us running the ball. But there is a sense of urgency.

DBN: What is WR coach Chad O’Shea like, and his assistant coach, Stephen Bravo-Brown?

Gill: C.O.’s my guy; he has been very helpful to me. Any questions I have, he makes sure that I get the answers and understand this offense. He is a reliable resource. I don’t hesitate, and he doesn’t act like they are dumb questions. He is a good dude and cares about his players and wants to win. Bravo is my guy. That is who I go to. He can be caught up with the starters, but he will take the time I need. Bravo knows everything in and out. He works hard, and I appreciate him being helpful. I wouldn’t doubt that he becomes a head coach one day.

DBN: What are your weaknesses, and what are you doing to improve?

Gill: Everybody has their weaknesses. I don’t think there are any real issues in my game, but if I am good at something, I can work to make it that much better. I am all the time trying to work on every aspect of my game. I am good at taking the advice from my coaches and understanding what they want so that I can make plays.

DBN: Tell me what each Browns quarterback is like in the huddle.

Gill: I had a little time with Pickett. I have been with Shedeur and Gabriel for the most part. They are trying to learn this offense like the rest of us, since it is different this year from what it was. We are all learning together. So far, they are doing a good job. Both are very vocal, executing, and know their stuff. Both have been learning their job.

DBN: You were with Cleveland part of last season. What has changed from last year’s offense to this year’s?

Gill: There are obviously play changes, and it seems they push guys more, hoping that we pick this up and try to win. Again, the main thing is urgency. As far as us being more of a running team, that is something that we will just have to wait and see. The offense was limited in mini-camp and OTAs, and it should be. Once the pads go on, once it is live blocking and tackling, and we scrimmage against some other teams, this offense will show what it is designed to do. We are going to see at camp, what we are good at, and what we need to improve.

DBN: What should Cleveland Browns fans expect from you this season?

Gill: A guy that busts his ass, a great teammate, who knows his stuff. That is what the Cleveland Browns should expect from me.