Starting Lineup: Second-best not good enough for Wyomissing’s Caleb Brewer
To recognize the top players in Berks football MikeDragoSports.com has selected the “Starting Lineup,” a preseason All-Berks team that includes the top linemen, backs, receivers, linebackers and specialists.
Players were selected based on past performance, expected performance this season and college potential. Two-way players were given special consideration. One player will be introduced each day, in random order (the players are not ranked).
Former NFL lineman and recruiting expert Ross Tucker offers comments on some of the selections.
Caleb Brewer, Wyomissing
| 6-5 | 285 | Senior | T/DT |
BACKSTORY: Caleb Brewer earned all-league, first-team honors on both offense and defense as a junior, collected more than two dozen Division I scholarship offers and helped Wyomissing win 13 games and a fourth straight District 3 Class 3A championship.
It wasn’t until a couple months after football season ended that he realized he did all of that with a broken bone in his wrist.
It hurt a lot during the season, sure, but he ignored that and plowed ahead.
“You’ve just gotta deal with it,” he said. “I knew I had a job to do; I needed to show out so that I can have an opportunity.”
He showed out. Penn State coach James Franklin offered him last October after flying into Wyomissing to see Brewer play against Cocalico. Brewer committed in April, choosing the Nittany Lions over Notre Dame, Michigan, Wisconsin, and other top programs.
He had no idea when he entered high school that he’d have a chance to play major college football. His offensive line coach, Steve O’Neil, pulled him aside after his sophomore season and told him he had what it takes, he just had to work for it.
That ignited a fire within the 6-5, 285-pound Brewer. The rest, as they say, is history.
“He is impressive when he comes off the ball, and he”ll block to the whistle,” said Wyomissing coach Bob Wolfrum. “He’s very physical and he likes to finish blocks.
“That comes across on the film. A coach from a Big 10 school texted me and said it looks like he likes to block. He’ll block a guy 10 yards down the field.”
Brewer has been a wrestler his whole life. The footwork, toughness, and discipline he learned in that sport have aided his work in the trenches.
College coaches look at a lineman’s feet; if they can’t move they don’t get offered a chance to play at the highest level. Brewer is so mobile it remains to be seen where he’ll be used in college: Guard, center or even on the defensive line.
The Spartans had so many big linemen last season – 6-5, 300-pound Penn State recruit Jven Williams and 6-4, 275-pound Sacred Heart recruit Pacen Ziegler – that Wolfrum had the luxury of using Brewer as a tight end. They didn’t throw to him much – he caught three passes – but he was critical sealing off the edge and helping the Spartans average more than 300 rushing yards per game.
With Williams and Ziegler gone they need Brewer back at tackle to anchor a relatively inexperienced line. He says he won’t miss the chance to run down the field with the ball under his arm.
“Nah,” he said, “I just want to hit somebody.”
Brewer had surgery on his wrist in February and wasn’t officially cleared to play until July. That cost him his junior track and field season and a full offseason of lifting. No matter. He’s ready for a big finish.
“I’m expecting to be a lot more dominant,” he said. “I’ve been working very hard, going to the gym for three hours, doing agility work. I really think I’m gonna show out.”
Even with his full ride in place Brewer has things to prove. First, there’s getting back to the PIAA championship game. He and his teammates weren’t happy about falling a step short last season. Then there’s the matter of the ratings he has received from the national recruiting services.
He’s ranked No. 8 overall in Pennsylvania by 247sports.com, No. 12 by ESPN, No. 17 by Rivals.com and No. 18 by On3.
He’s the top-ranked lineman in District 3 by Rivals, ahead of Hempfield’s Deyvid Palepale, a USC recruit; he’s No. 2 overall in the district, trailing only Bishop McDevitt wide receiver Rico Scott, an Alabama recruit. He’s not happy being No. 2.
“I feel underrated,” he said. “I feel I can be better. I never settle for what I have.”
ROLE: Starting tackle on offense and defense.
COLLEGE PROSPECTS: Committed to Penn State, where he’ll join former teammate Jven Williams.
TUCKER’S TAKE: “Like any other Power 5 recruit, Brewer moves extremely well for his size. Dominant point-of-attack blocker as a 285-pound tight end last year while also being a force at times on the defensive line. Very powerful with a mean streak that allows him to take his game to another level at times. Will need to be a leader up front for a Wyomissing team breaking in a lot of first-year starters on the offensive line.”
Starting Lineup
| Caleb Brewer | Wyomissing | T/DT |
| Edison Case | Wilson | WR/S/KR |
| Dominic Giuffre | Schuylkill Valley | RB/OLB |
| Michael Miller | Muhlenberg | RB/OLB/KR |
| Nathan Pashley | Exeter | S/QB/WR/P/KR |
| Mason Semmel | Hamburg | HB/TE/DT |
| Ean Winchester | Twin Valley | HB/TE/DT |
| Zack Zandier | Exeter | TE/DE |
