Andrew Brewer does it all. As a senior wide receiver for the Wildcats, he has already caught 15 balls for 280 yards and three touchdowns this season. Away from the gridiron, he works hard in the classroom and does extensive volunteer work in the church and community.
Brewer saw his dedication pay off recently, having been named to the Allstate AFCA Good Works team. The distinction is awarded to 11 Football Bowl Subdivision student-athletes and to 11 from other divisions for their dedication and selfless contributions to their communities.
Serving as co-President of the Fellowship of Christian Athletes, Brewer works with kids through the Children’s Memorial Hospital and with the homeless through outreach programs and a food pantry.
“I’m very involved in my faith,” Brewer said. “That’s not going to go away. That’s something I’m going to continue to do.”
The ‘Cats have been well-represented on the Good Works team in the last few years. He Joining past honorees Eric Peterman, Adam Kadela and Joel Howells, Brewer is the fourth straight Wildcat player to appear on the roster — one for every year Pat Fitzgerald has served as head coach. Fitzgerald only had good things to say about Brewer.
“He’s everything you want and more,” Fitzgerald said. “He he works his tail off. He’s a great leader of men and you see that when he gives back all that time.”
It’s no coincidence that the Good Works Team selection streak has coincided with Fitzgerald’s tenure as coach and it is a credit to the program that its recruits continue to perform outside the lines. Although the Peterman, Kadela, Howells, and Brewer were recruited by former head coach Randy Walker, Fitzgerald says that the coaches and academic support staff tried to make them “the best men they possibly can be.”
“We talk a lot about the type of guy we want in this program,” Brewer said. “It’s hard to get in here. It takes a special guy to get recruited into the program.”
After all, the student comes first in student-athlete.