Red Bank Catholic junior Davin Brewton has several major components in his life – two of which he is able to combine admirably: football and faith.

As the Caseys’ middle linebacker, Brewton is one of the top defensive players amongst New Jersey’s junior class. He is being recruited by numerous big time college programs, and the interest will only increase the longer he plays.

He attributes his ability to three things: hard work, good coaching and the Lord.

“God has always been a part of me and I feel that’s why I’ve been so successful,” the Neptune resident said. “I’ve been going to Catholic school since second grade; I was always learning about God, always taught religion in school.”

Brewton had some extra exposure to those teachings this past summer when he and several other Caseys attended the Fellowship of Christian Athletes Camp at Kutztown University, run by FCA director and RBC alum Harry Flaherty.

“It was a great experience down there, being around kids who felt the same way, who believe in God and also trust in God,” Brewton said. “I appreciate Coach Flaherty having me down there with him. We had two sessions of football with drills, and at night everyone goes to chapel and prays to the Lord. It’s just amazing.”

“Amazing” might be a good way to describe Brewton’s play on the field as well. He started at age four playing flag football for the Matawan Huskies.

“Football has always been a big part of my life,” Brewton said. “My dad and my uncle played it; my uncle was vice-president of the Huskies. I’ve always had people helping me get better at my craft and keep pushing me.”

[[In-content Ad]]

His first four years, Davin played nose guard, tight end and defensive end. Finally, his brother Dan, a former Casey standout, suggested he possessed all the skills to play linebacker.

“He was teaching me how to play, saying I would be a great fit because we both love to tackle and fit,” Brewton said. “My uncle and dad were coaches so my brother and I were both linebackers. It was a great duo.”

When he got to RBC, Brewton was used in special packages on varsity as a freshman, and made a modest nine tackles.

“That was a little hard,” he said. “I never really sat out, so I had to adapt to it, just go hard in practice. On the scout team I was going really hard to try to show the varsity a great look. I didn’t take it negatively; I just went hard every single day trying to prove myself.”

A year later, he did more than prove himself as Brewton was far and away the team’s leading tackler as a sophomore, with 119 overall and 10 for loss along with two sacks.

“He’s just a natural linebacker with a nose to the ball,” RBC coach Mike Lange said. “He just has great lateral movement. He sees the guy with the ball and he’s on his hip real quick. That’s a big thing.”

Brewton exploded in last December’s 13-8 win over DePaul of Wayne in the NJSIAA Non-Public Group B championship game, making a season-high 18 tackles.

“I remember just before the game I said, ‘I’m gonna do anything in my power to come out with this win,’” he recalled. “I don’t care what it takes, even if I have to sacrifice myself.”  

Over the summer, Brewton attended camps at Duke, Wake Forest, Penn State, Boston College and Syracuse, among others. He recently was invited by Boston College as a sideline guest for their home game with Clemson, and Oct. 29 will be at Penn State’s home game with Ohio State.

He has come back better than ever this season, and is again leading the Caseys in tackles with 71 through their 7-1 start. Respected recruiting analyst Tom Lemming says of Brewton, “He’s very impressive in person and on film. He can run, hit and cover. Dynamic defender with big time skills.”

Lange said that this year “you’re seeing a more mature player both physically and mentally. He’s only a junior and he’s got a lot of mileage under his belt. I think that obviously helps. He’s bigger, he’s definitely faster than he was last year.

“He’s a very cerebral kid at linebacker,” the coach continued. “He gets them lined up, he knows all the calls, he knows all the checks. He’s a great student of the game. He knows everything that’s going on.”

He’s the same way in the classroom as well with a 3.3 grade point average. And while he will have his pick of football schools, Brewton will also pay attention to academics.

“Education first,” he said. “Only 20 percent make the NFL. I want to go somewhere that also has a great program for what I want to major in.”