Bears Grab Their QB in Brasch
The Bears secured a commitment from Higley (Gilbert, AZ) High School quarterback Spencer Brasch during his official visit to Cal Sunday and Monday. A dual threat QB, Brasch competed 62% of his passes on the season for 33 touchdowns through the air with five intereceptions along with 898 yards and 13 touchdowns on the ground, averaging an impressive 9.9 yards per carry.
"I always wanted to be in California," said Brasch. "So it was perfect that I got an offer from Cal.
"Great school, good program and really nice area and beautiful campus. I'm really looking forward to the education I'll get at Cal and being a part of this program.
"One of the things I like a lot, too, is how nice the coaches are. Coach Tui was super-excited for me and I like all the other coaches, too. It felt like I was really welcomed right away and really a part of the family at Cal."
"I think he is a really good quarterback that also happens to be a very good athlete," said Higley head coach Eddie Zubey. "And a lot of times you see kids that are really good athletes that happen to be able to throw the ball, but he's a quarterback first, but also has the ability to beat you with his feet and just be aware. He's a great athlete."
To say Brasch is a multi-sport athlete would be more than an understatement.
"Oh yeah, I say, which sport doesn't he play," said Zubey. "As a sophomore last year, he went out for the baseball team. He was a varsity pitcher. He was clocked at 86 miles an hour as a sophomore.
"He always runs track. Track and baseball is the same season here. So he's playing both sports at the same time. In his sophomore year he made it to the state track meet in the triple jump and the open 400."
"This year he decided he didn't want to do baseball, so he still did track again for his junior year and then he decided to join our volleyball team. Our volleyball team won state. And he'd never played volleyball before, but it only took like a game or two to get it down. He's the outside hitter.
"A week before the regular season ended, he stopped playing volleyball because of the football stuff. Spring ball started picking up. It started to get more evident that, you know, college football was his calling. So no matter what he does, he's great.
"This year he made it to the state track meet in the 4x100, the 4x400 and he was the anchor on both of those, as well as the triple jump.
"He's also our punter. He averages 42 yards a punt. He was the emcee of our spring assembly, too. You know, up in front of all the students. He's just a good kid. Great family, he's a superior athlete."
The talented Brasch saw his first varsity time as a young frosh for Higley.
"After his freshman regular season," said Zubey. "He came up for the playoffs. He played a couple series as a freshman I believe. As a sophomore, Spencer was our starting varsity quarterback. He also played free safety on JV. So we pulled him up to varsity. We had three year starter on varsity. After the first game of the playoffs, Spencer was our starting free safety. He was just a ball hog. You know, he's 6-3/190 and just a great athlete. He beat the kid out at free safety in about two weeks."
The program had several high level players in Brasch's sophomore season but after they moved on, Brasch took on more of a leadership mantel last season.
"This year he's really stepped up his leadership role," said Zubey. "About two weeks after the season ended, he got all the guys together and they started organizing, going and throwing on their own. We didn't talk to him about doing any of that stuff. I'd rather him wait until January, get a little bit of time off, but he wanted to get them working right away. So he's been out there with those guys. They're throwing Saturday mornings on their own. It's been great. The kids really respect him. They respond to him.
"He's a winner. He's only lost three games in high school. His freshman year, we lost one game. He went undefeated as a sophomore. Last year as a junior, we only lost two games. Ironically enough, all three of his losses are to the same school, Saguaro, which is always one of the top programs around here, with 16 D1 athletes.
A dual threat QB, Brasch competed 62% of his passes on the season for 33 touchdowns through the air with five intereceptions along with 898 yards and 13 touchdowns on the ground, averaging an impressive 9.9 yards per carry.
"He's a legit dual threat," said Zubey. "The kid has a super strong arm. He could probably throw the ball through a brick wall. There's not a throw on the field he can't make. He's got huge hands. That's always a comment that I get when college coaches shake his hand. He's got big 'ol paws.
"Another good thing for Spencer is, he didn't throw his first interception until game ten," said Zubey. "And it was on a tipped running back's screened pass. He threw four picks on the year and only one of them were legit his fault. One was on a tipped running back screen and then he threw one late over the middle. I think he threw 34 touchdowns and four interceptions. The first one didn't come until week ten. So he really took care of the ball. I don't think he fumbled it until the playoffs. He just did a good job of taking care of the football."
Cal special teams coach Charlie Ragle played a key role in identifying and recruiting Brasch, with his extensive connections in Arizona -his recruiting territory with Cal.
"Charlie and I go back a long time," said Zubey. "I played at ASU. Then I GA'd at ASU and then we coached against each other in high school. We were head coaches, when he was at Chaparral. And then he became a GA at ASU for a year. So we've definitely crossed paths. He does a great job.
"Also, he's been on our guy Ty Robinson as well since Ty was a freshman. He was always saying, 'This kids' going to be special'" Lo and behold, he's one of the top recruits in the nation. He does a great job with the kids. He builds relationships with them and when he's there they can tell he's genuine. He doesn't pull any punches with them."
Both Ragle and offensive coordinator Beau Baldwin were there to watch Brasch throw before his offer and meet with Brasch and Zubey.
"It was my first time meeting Coach Beau (Baldwin). It was great. We got to sit down and talk a little bit before just about everything. And having Ragle in the room as well kind of lightens the mood and opens him up a little bit more as well. They were great to talk to. They were honest. We got on the board a little bit, talking a little offense and that was fun to do. So, it was good."
SMU, NC State and Vanderbilt were top contenders for Brasch before his commitment to Cal.