Freeze names starting quarterback: Charlie Brewer

After an offseason of uncertainty at the quarterback position, a new leader has finally been named on the mountain. 

Head Coach Hugh Freeze officially designated redshirt senior Charlie Brewer as the starting quarterback for the Flames Monday, Aug. 22. 

Brewer had been in open competition for the job this offseason along with redshirt junior Jonathan Bennett, redshirt freshman Kaidon Salter and redshirt freshman Nate Hampton  after the departure of now-NFL quarterback Malik Willis. Bennett, who backed up Willis last season, will resume that same role behind Brewer. 

While the four candidates were close competitors throughout spring practices and in camp, it was ultimately the team’s recent scrimmages that prompted Freeze to make a decision.

“I just think he separated himself by a small margin over Jonathan Bennett,” Freeze said. “Just in probably the timing of throws in close windows. It’s not that I don’t believe Jonathan, or Kaidon, or Nate couldn’t do well either. That probably makes it more challenging. I think it comes down to what we saw in the two scrimmages, particularly the last one. Probably, there’s part of me that knows he’s done it before and wants to see if we can rekindle a type of year that he had at Baylor.”

Brewer transferred to Liberty from Utah in 2021 after losing his starting job after three games to Cameron Rising. He had previously spent four seasons (2017-20) at Baylor, where he spent his first year under the direction of current Panthers’ Head Coach Matt Rhule. 

Brewer’s best years were at Baylor, where he finished No. 2 all-time for the program in career passing yards (9,700) and was the second player in Bears’ history to go over 10,000 total yards. He ranks second all-time in completion percentage (63.5) and first in career completions (828), edging out Robert Griffin III in Baylor’s record books. 

The mere title of “starter”, however, doesn’t seem to carry too much weight for Brewer. He knows the title could potentially be temporary and looks to approach every day as if he’s still competing for the position. 

“Just because you were named the starter, you’ve got to keep it,” Brewer said. “Obviously, you have to play well each week, just keep getting better, put your best foot forward and try to do everything you can to help the team.”

Of all the quarterbacks on Liberty’s roster, Brewer has been with the program for the least amount of time. He feels that being a successful starting quarterback is going to stretch beyond the field and into the locker room with leadership. 

“I’m trying to lead by example and trying to build a relationship with a lot of the guys (and) gain their trust since I’m new,” he said. “I think it’s important to build a relationship with everyone just because everyone responds differently to different types of leadership. So, I think the most important thing is to build those relationships and once you have that trust, you can lead someone a certain way.”

Now that the captain of the offense has been solidified, the Flames will look ahead to their season-opener in Hattiesburg as they prepare to take on the Southern Mississippi Golden Eagles. Coming off a 3-9 campaign in 2021, the Golden Eagles are entering the new season with 40 newcomers on their roster. 

When looking at the quarterback position, Brewer certainly has the edge in experience. Southern Mississippi quarterback Ty Keyes is a redshirt freshman, having only played in four collegiate games. However, there will still likely be a learning curve for Brewer and the offense as he continues to get adjusted to Freeze’s scheme. 

While Freeze’s offense heavily incorporates elements that Brewer is comfortable in, such as tempo and run-pass option (RPO), it will undoubtedly take time for him to get fully acquainted with the playbook. 

“I feel pretty comfortable (with the playbook),” Brewer said. “Having that time in the summer helped me a lot, but I’m still learning. The base part of the offense I know, but I gotta learn a lot more.”

Regardless, Freeze is aware that developing an identity with this offense is something that will take time. Where the offense falls short, Josh Aldridge and Jack Curtis’ defense will hope to step in and make up for it. 

“When defenses play well, you win some games,” Freeze said. “Hopefully that will be the case, but I think your identity is always developed as the season goes on. You find out you are stronger here than we thought or weaker here than we thought. Where we’re weak, we’ve got to find a way to make up for that. Where we’re strong, we need to lean on those. I think our identity will be determined in the first half of the season, for sure.” 

The Flames will officially take the field for the 2022 season against the Golden Eagles in Hattiesburg, Mississippi, Saturday, Sept. 3 at 7 p.m. The broadcast will air on ESPN+.

CORY is the sports editor. Follow her on Twitter.