Fort Collins – Mullen High School linebacker Rick Brewer made a hasty decision last spring when he announced he would sign with the University of Colorado.
He’s in no rush this time.
Brewer withdrew his commitment a week ago because he said he wasn’t comfortable with what he described as an unstable situation. He was one of 18 recruits at Colorado State’s Poinsettia Bowl practice Saturday who came from around the block (Fort Collins High offensive lineman Ian Wolfe) and as far away as Anchorage, Alaska, (tight end Cordell Macon).
Brewer, 6-feet-2, 195 pounds, visited with his Mullen teammate Josh Dorsey, a 6-1, 180-pound strong safety. The Mullen linebacker said he dropped his commitment before Gary Barnett’s firing.
“He’s a good guy. I feel kind of bad for the situation he was put in,” Brewer said. “He didn’t have a chance to stand up for his players.”
Brewer’s focus now is on CSU and Wyoming, schools that showed the earliest interest.
While some visitors from California saw snow for the first time, Arvada West quarterback Sean McDougal started taking his unofficial recruiting trips to CSU games when he was in grade school. Said the youngest brother of former Rams kicker Matt (1994-96) and running back Kevin (1996-99): “I love it up here. They have great coaches and players.”
The one-time locker room mascot has grown to 6-2, 200 pounds and passed for 2,900 yards and rushed for another 520 yards. He has an offer to play football and baseball at Mesa State, but said he hoped CSU would extend an official offer this weekend.
A few players who already committed also took their trips. Loveland linebacker-safety Nick Eaton, 6-3, 230 pounds, was the first commitment in the class last June.
“I’ve had season tickets since I was 8 years old, and I jumped right away,” Eaton said.
The lone junior college prospect was Marvin Arnold, a 6-4, 290-pound offensive tackle at El Camino (Calif.) College. He said he also is visiting Kentucky and Mississippi.
Wolfe, the local prospect and only three-star-rated recruit present, said he is looking at Wisconsin or Kansas.
“If I stay closer to home, it will be CSU,” he said.
Footnotes
Cold weather, players studying for finals and coaches on the road for recruiting have cut into practice time. The Rams return to the practice field today and Tuesday. … A few more recruits are expected next weekend. … Offensive tackle Mike Brisiel returned to practice after missing the Nov. 19 finale at UNLV with a back injury. … CSU has surpassed the 2,500 mark for bowl ticket sales. The school has a commitment to sell 10,000 seats.
Natalie Meisler can be reached at 303-820-1295 or nmeisler@denverpost.com.
