Brower signs on to play for Morehead State
When it comes to the track, Ringgold’s Pete Brower is one of the top 400-meter runners in the northwest Georgia area. But while Brower will still be running the distance for the Tigers later in the spring, his future plans involve a little more short-distance sprinting.
Brower opted for the football route during National Signing Day this past Wednesday as the 6-foot-3, 200-pound wide receiver put his signature on a Division I FCS letter of intent with Morehead State in Kentucky.
“I had a lot of people helping me out during the recruitment process, like (assistant) Coach (Chase) Fleming, (head) Coach (Robert) Akins and another coach from Catoosa County, Coach (David) Gann,” Brower explained. “They have all helped me out tremendously and, honestly, I wouldn’t have gotten a lot of the looks that I got without them. A lot of the credit goes to them.”
Of course, Brower’s past two seasons of 70 combined catches for 1,141 yards had a little to do with it as well. He also picked off a pair of passes last season on defense, defended four more and had both a forced fumble and a fumble recovery.
“For Pete, last year was probably more successful because we had him on the outside,” Akins said. “He played on the inside for us this (past) year until right at the very end of the season. When (the recruiters) saw some of the catches he’d made and found out that he’s a 400-meter guy, several places started recruiting him immediately.”
Brower said he was instantly struck by the beauty of the campus and that it didn’t hurt that a little winter precipitation had fallen.
“When I first went to visit there, I saw how pretty the campus was up there in the mountains,” he recalled. “Luckily, it was snowing that day and I just love the snow. There’s just a lot of beautiful scenery and when I got to meet the coaches, it was ten times better after that. They really care about their students’ education, along with sports. Plus, they have a really good medical program and really everything I need for my career.”
“He’s still learning the position of receiver,” Fleming said. “He’s great at going and getting those 50-50 balls, he’s a really good route runner and he starting to learn the nuances of playing the position. Some schools were even looking at him maybe becoming a tight end because he’s already a 6-foot-3 guy and he might not be done growing yet.”
Brower said it was going to take hard work and dedication on his part to succeed with the Eagles.
“I’m going to be one of those kids that does the extra reps,” he said. “I’ll be the one that will jump to the front of the line and do what needs to be done and I’m just going to try my hardest every day that I’m there.”