Posted: Tue, 9 Mar 2010 09:01 AM - 10,087 Readers
By: Don Williams
When Austin Lake Travis quarterback Michael Brewer announced his oral commitment Friday to play for Texas Tech, it was duly noted in his hometown that Brewer would follow Todd Reesing and Garrett Gilbert as Lake Travis quarterbacks who went on to the Big 12 Conference.
Hardly overlooked was the fact Brewer’s grandfather, Charlie Brewer, and his father, Robert Brewer, are former Texas Longhorns quarterbacks.
But in coming to Lubbock, Michael Brewer won’t necessarily escape his standard bearers.
In 1999, Charlie Brewer, a Lubbock High legend, was named the quarterback on the A-J All-City All-Century football team and to the South Plains’ Top 100 Athletes of all-time list.
“I’ve seen all of his old photos and his old playbooks and his ring,’’ Michael Brewer said. “He loves Lubbock, thinks it’s a great town. He’s really fired up that I’m going to be at Texas Tech.’’
Still just a junior in high school, Michael Brewer already has a lot in common with his grandfather: Just as Charlie Brewer quarterbacked Lubbock High to a 13-0 state championship season in 1951 — the first of back-to-back titles for the Westerners — Michael quarterbacked Class 4A Lake Travis to a 16-0 state championship season last year.
Brewer, who said he is 6-foot-1 and 180 pounds, posted attention-getting statistics last season for the Cavaliers. He threw for 4,450 yards on 256-of-367 passing, and his touchdowns-to-interceptions ratio was 43-7.
That won him 10 scholarship offers, the others coming from Texas, Baylor, Kansas, Arizona State, Clemson, Tulsa, Rice, East Carolina and Auburn. But Brewer’s first offer came from Tech in week six of last season.
“I was interested right off the bat,’’ he said.
He promptly visited campus the week of the Tech-Texas A&M game. After the Red Raiders’ coaching change, Brewer visited again for a junior day.
“When I visited, it was everything I expected and more,’’ he said. “I kind of fell in love with Lubbock and Texas Tech, and I’m real excited to be a Red Raider.’’
Brewer plans to graduate high school in December and enroll at Tech in January.
After Tech fired former coach Mike Leach, Brewer said new head coach Tommy Tuberville and offensive coordinator Neal Brown came to watch him throw and confirmed his scholarship offer remained in place. He didn’t need much time to warm up to the new coaches.
Brewer said among the pluses to joining Tech is that Brown’s offense is similar to what he’s been running at Lake Travis.
“I’ve briefly seen just a little bit of film on some of the stuff they’re going to be running,’’ he said. “It’s a really fast-paced, no-huddle, hurry-up offense. Running the ball. Throwing the ball all around the field. Rolling out. Running the quarterback — not a lot, but just enough.’’
Brewer also seems well-suited for Brown’s offense in the latter regard. He carried the ball 114 times for 615 yards and 23 touchdowns last season.
“I’m a pass-first and then run-second guy,’’ he said. “But if necessary, I can run the ball.’’
