Brewer explains his PSU commitment
Spartans junior picks Lions over Michigan, Notre Dame and Duke
Caleb Brewer had never attended a Penn State football game until last fall.
On the first day he stepped inside Beaver Stadium, the Nittany Lions beat Northwestern on a cold, rainy, miserable October afternoon.
But that didn’t dampen Penn State’s chances of landing Brewer, the 6-4, 300-pound Wyomissing standout, or his enthusiasm.
“I thought it was great,” he said. “I loved it.”
Brewer wound up committing last weekend after attending the Blue-White Game, choosing the Lions over Michigan, Notre Dame and Duke.
“The other three were all a little far away and I wanted to stay closer to home,” he said. “I want to be at Penn State because of the culture they have there. I think they’re on the rise. I think there’s a lot of potential there.
“There’s just great football there. It’s just a place a guy like me would want to be.”
Brewer became the 10th commitment in the Lions’ Class of 2024 and improved their national recruiting ranking to seventh (247 Sports) and 10th (On3).
If Brewer signs a letter of intent with Penn State in December, he’ll join former Spartans teammate J’ven Williams, an offensive lineman, and three other Berks County products: running back Nick Singleton of Gov. Mifflin, tight end Joey Schlaffer of Exeter and safety Trace Brown of Berks Catholic.
Brewer, who has gained about 25 pounds since last August, played next to Williams as a tight end on offense and a defensive lineman at Wyomissing and helped lead the Spartans to the District 3 Class 3A championship and the PIAA semifinals last fall.
He was quick to say that although Williams recruited him to attend Penn State, he tried to put aside their friendship when making his college choice.
“You can’t go to a college just because a friend’s there,” Brewer said. “That was not part of the decision, but it’s cool to have him up there.”
Brewer is rated a three-star prospect by On3, 247 Sports and Rivals and is ranked among the top 20 players in Pennsylvania by all three recruiting outlets. He could wind up playing on the offensive or defensive line for the Lions, but his forte is blocking.
“That’s what everybody loves about him on film,” longtime Wyomissing coach Bob Wolfrum said. “He just blocks really well. We were lucky. We had those other linemen. We could afford to put him at tight end (last year), which is really great for our offense because our tight end is such an important part of our blocking. That just made us a whole lot better.
“He’s just very physical and he likes to finish blocks. He’ll block a guy 10 yards down the field.”
Brewer caught just three passes for 63 yards as a junior last season, but he helped the Spartans average more than 330 rushing yards per game.
He was named to the All-Berks team as a defensive lineman after he had 31 tackles, one sack and one forced fumble.
He played the entire football season and competed for most of the wrestling season with what he thought was a sprained right wrist. It was diagnosed as a fracture in late February and kept him out of the postseason.
Brewer underwent surgery, which knocked him out of track season — he is a thrower — and is still wearing a cast.
“It definitely bothered me a lot,” he said. “It hurt pretty bad. I just had to deal with it. It is what it is.”
He never dreamed of playing at a high-level Division I program until college coaches visiting Williams two years ago noticed him.
“I never really believed that I could until my sophomore year,” Brewer said, “until Coach O’Neil (Wyomissing offensive line coach Steve O’Neil) told me I had the potential to be a D1 player. I played football and I liked it, but I didn’t think I’d be at this level.”
Penn State coach James Franklin and offensive line coach Phil Trautwein have made strong impressions on him.
“He’s a very personable guy,” Brewer said about Franklin. “He makes you feel comfortable when you’re around him. I just feel like he cares about his players. I think he’s a great head coach.
“I like him (Trautwein) a lot, too. I went to a camp in the summer. I just like the way he coaches. He was really helpful in teaching the techniques.”
Brewer said he plans to major in business at Penn State. He’s not sure whether he wants to enroll in January or not.
“By the end of his sophomore year, he was getting ready to play,” Wolfrum said. “He just took that step to be a real guy last year.
“He’s always had the size and everything. He just manhandles most of the kids he goes against.”