COOKEVILLE, Tenn. – A quarterback who originally signed with the University of Minnesota, then played last year at a junior college in California, Clint Brewster will join the Tennessee Tech roster in July, third-year head coach Watson Brown announced this week.

A highly recruited quarterback during his high school career at Denver High Reed, Brewster will enroll at Tech this summer and be eligible immediately this fall with three seasons remaining. Brown said the 6-foot-1, 200-pound Brewster will be in the mix for the starting role at quarterback when the Golden Eagles open fall camp.

"Clint is a lot like our other young quarterbacks, Tre Lamb and Cass Barnes,” Brown said. “He’s a very athletic quarterback who can do everything. He has a great mentality for the game and he’ll come right in and be in the mix."

Brown said his staff didn’t recruit a quarterback this season, but couldn’t pass on the chance to add Brewster.

"He kind of fell into our lap, and we're really excited to have him," Brown said.

A 2007 graduate of Mullen High School, Brewster is the son of University of Minnesota head coach Tim Brewster. He was among the most recruited players in the country when he originally signed with the Golden Gophers. An all-conference and all-state pick, he was 134-for-214 for 62.6 percent, passing for 2,257 yards with 27 touchdowns as a senior. During his junior season, he was 141-for-245 for 2,092 yards with 22 TDs.

Scout.com had him ranked as the 24th best quarterback in the nation and the third-ranked overall player in Colorado. Another website, Rivals.com, had him as a three-star recruit ranked as the 17th best pro-style QB in the nation and the third-best player in Colorado.

Brewster was selected to the SuperPrep All-America Team, ranked as the 17th-best quarterback in the nation and named to the Midlands 88 Team as the 13th-best overall player and second-best quarterback. ESPN.com listed Brewster as the eighth-ranked quarterback in the nation.

After a redshirt season with Minnesota in 2007, he went to College of the Sequoias in Visalia, California last season.

Brewster helped College of Sequoias post a 6-4 record, taking over the starting assignment at quarterback for the final six games of the year. This Spring he talked to numerous Division I schools, and was ready to commit to Middle Tennessee before a coaching change within the Blue Raiders.

“I talked with Tennessee Tech and I was really impressed with coach Brown,” Brewster said. “I’m really looking forward to playing for Tech.”

“We were thrilled to learn that Clint might be available,” Brown said. “We talked to him, and it just seemed like a great fit.”

The Golden Eagles open the 2009 season on Thursday night, Sept. 10, when they host Pikeville College. Season tickets are on sale now at the athletic Ticket Office in Eblen Center, or by calling (931) 372-3940.