Pitt Commit Named New Jersey Athletics Defensive Player of the Year

If there’s been an award for Davin Brewton to win during his high school career, he’s won it. But, coming off three straight 100 tackle seasons and two New Jersey state titles in that span, he may have saved the best for last.

Brewton — a 6-foot-1, 225-pound three-star linebacker from Red Bank Catholic in Red Bank, N.J. — was named the New Jersey Athletics Defensive Player of the Year.

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He was also named to the Jersey Sports Zone’s Non-Public team, awarded the Shore Sports Network’s Defensive Player of the Year and helped RBC win the New Jersey Non-Public B state title.

Our defensive player of the year goes to no one other than Davin Brewton. The senior linebacker consistently made big time plays week after week. pic.twitter.com/flZeXrB20w

— NJ Athletics (@nj_athletics) December 13, 2023

Brewton made an impact all over the defense for Red Bank Catholic as a senior, recording 132 tackles, 16 tackles for loss, three sacks, two fumble recoveries, an interception and two defensive touchdowns — one fumble return and one pick-six.

As an ‘undersized’ linebacker at 6-foot-1, 225 pounds, he flashes aggression and a nose for the football on every single play, consistently finding the right angles to the football. It’s hard to teach, but it’s easy — for Brewton — to describe.

“Definitely that hard-nosed dawg who wants to hit to hit and kill the person with the ball,” Brewton told PSN in May. “Flying around sideline to sideline, never take plays off. I’m a hunter out there, I’m hunting and I’m gonna get my food.”

Brewton picked Pitt over offers from Marshall, Maryland, Massachusetts, Syracuse, Tulane and West Virginia — and interest from Penn State and Rutgers — back in May. He did his due diligence in visiting Maryland and WVU, but his mind came back to Pitt every time.

He fulfilled the first part of his childhood dream, committing to play at a Division I program, and as he watched Dennis live out his own NFL dream, it only reinforced that Pitt would be able to help him achieve the second part of his childhood dream.

“It really was like, ‘Wow, my dream of going to the NFL can come true here.’ It’s a great outlet and they put the most NFL players out in the ACC,” Brewton said. “So, that was a real eye opener for me and just how coach Manalac is a great linebackers coach and he produced Voss to become this great, smart linebacker. It was a no-brainer.”

Brewton is a linebacker who is expected to come in and play that Mike linebacker role, a la fellow New Jersey native and Pitt great SirVocea Dennis. The Tampa Bay Buccaneer is certainly someone that Brewton tries to emulate.

“We have a lot in common,” Brewton said in January. “Not the tallest person ever, but we’re both dawgs. We both find the ball; we both just want to attack. The thing I love about Pitt and the linebacker room is everything is about being physical and just trying to put someone put on the field.”

247Sports rates Brewton as the 1,245th-ranked recruit in the class (108th-ranked linebacker and 23rd-ranked recruit from New Jersey) while On3 rates him as the 1,288th-ranked recruit in the class (98th-ranked linebacker and 24th-ranked recruit from New Jersey).

Rivals rates Brewton as the 24th-ranked recruit from New Jersey — holding a 5.5 Rivals Rating.