Athletic TE Cade Brewer move prove to be a pivotal piece in Texas’ new offense

Despite offers from the likes of the Oklahoma Sooners and Texas A&M Aggies, Lake Travis tight end Cade Brewer had stuck with family friend Chad Morris and the SMU Mustangs.

In the end, however, a December offer from the Texas Longhorns resulted in Brewer flipping to his hometown school and signing with the ‘Horns on Wednesday.

Once the head coach at Lake Travis, the ties that Morris had to Brewer and his family were difficult to break after the athletic tight end committed to the Mustangs in April of 2016.

"I'm pretty excited. I just thought there's no other place I could see myself at other than SMU. I just don't think anyone could beat it. It's the best situation for me and my family," Brewer told Scout.com. "It's the best spot for me in that offense and coach Morris used to be here at Lake Travis so not much learning curve there. It's a great campus and I have a fun time up there."

Once upon a time, Brewer was set to play for SMU with high school teammate Charlie Brewer, a Longhorns legacy.

But once Herman and his staff watched Brewer in action during a playoff game and extended an offer, it started a process that ultimately resulted in his commitment.

First, Texas got him on campus for a low-key visit in December, then secured his pledge on December 23, a decision that Brewer said was a “40-year decision and not just a four-year decision... I grew up a Longhorn, and I want to still be a Longhorn in 40 years,” he wrote on Twitter.

Ranked as a consensus three-star prospect, Brewer is the No. 963 prospect nationally, the No. 47 tight end, and the No. 131 player in Texas, according to the 247Sports Composite rankings.

Here’s an evaluation of Brewer from Inside Texas:

How he fits at Texas: Brewer reminds me of Ricky Seals-Jones in that he’s just credible enough as a blocker at H-back that he can play the position and open up a wide world of possibilities in the world of play-action, quick game, and misdirection TE screens. Brewer has better hands then RSJ though and is already about 220 with the potential to reach 240 or better in college. Brewer is a willing blocker but he’s been working in Lake Travis’ outside zone-based run game and isn’t executing a lot of smash-mouth techniques like kicking out a DE. He’s also been spending at least half his time flexed out wide where his plus speed and route running at the position make him a favorite target amidst a loaded cast of skill talent for the Cavs. If Brewer can add size, strength, and blocking technique he could be a dominant, dual-threat TE. If he just grows enough to be a credible blocker he could still be a lethal weapon thanks to his athleticism and receiving skills.

At 6’3 and 223 pounds, Brewer certainly profile as more of an H-back in college than he does a traditional in-line tight end, a role that fellow signee Reese Leitao will likely fill with a high level of capability at Texas.

The special ability that Brewer brings to the table is his athleticism — there aren’t many prospects who are his size who can move as well as he does.

In other words, there are legitimate reasons why Brewer was able to produce 29 touchdowns in high school, including 14 during a senior season that also saw him record 64 catches for 853 yards en route to a state title.

Like many other prospects in the class, Brewer fits a key need for Texas, which has only two scholarship tight ends on campus this spring — senior Andrew Beck and redshirt freshman Peyton Aucoin — neither of whom possess the athleticism and overall receiving ability of Brewer.

So expect him to make a bigger impact on the program than his recruiting rankings might suggest.