Perry QB Kolston Brewster commits to University at Buffalo

Kolston Brewster is ready to take his talents to the highest level.

The All-Ohio quarterback from Perry has announced that he will be signing with the University at Buffalo of the Mid-American Conference as a preferred walk-on, choosing the Bulls over opportunities at Lake Erie College and John Carroll University.

Brewster had a multitude of scholarship offers, including those from St. Francis, Urbana, Edinboro and Lake Erie. But the opportunity to test his skills at the MAC level was too good to pass up.

He’d rather bet on himself.

“I have a lot of goals, and Buffalo is the perfect opportunity for me to go out and reach those goals,” he said. “I’m going to go in and compete. My goal is to earn the starting job. I have no desire to redshirt.”

Brewster capped a decorated career at Perry this past fall by throwing for 3,069 yards and 37 touchdowns for the Pirates (12-1). He completed 68 percent of his passes as a senior.

He finished his career with 6,116 yards passing and 64 touchdowns.

In his final two years at Perry, he guided the Pirates to back-to-back 10-0 seasons and undefeated championships in the Chagrin Division of the Chagrin Valley Conference.

In addition to his football accolades, Brewster holds a 3.9 grade-point average and was an academic All-Ohioan this past fall.

He announced his decision on Twitter.

“Most kids who put a football helmet on dream of playing at the highest level possible one day…I was no different,” Brewster said in announcement. “There are specific goals that I want to achieve in my football career and The University of Buffalo is where my journey will continue.”

Brewster said Buffalo quarterback coach Jim Zebrowski was a big selling point for him. Buffalo is coming off a 6-6 season under third-year coach Lance Leopold.

“(Zebrowski) believes in me and what I can bring to the table at the D-I level with my passing accuracy, work ethic and leadership ability,” Brewster said. “I want to be surrounded by people that see my potential.”

As eager as he is to go on to the next level, Brewster said his experience at Perry will be tough to top.

“My high school football experience was a dream come true,” Brewster said. “Achieving two undefeated regular seasons with my teammates will always be remembered. It was truly an honor to be the QB of the 2016 and 2017 teams. I will cherish these memories forever.”

Brewster said his parents have been instrumental in his development as a person and as a player. Additionally, the coaches he has had along the way helped him get to the point where he is now.

“A lot of coaches contributed to my development and I am forever grateful for their time investment to help me grow as a QB,” he said. “The Chardon Youth Football staff, Perry White Pirates (Brad Bubonic, Al Raddatz and the late coach Mike Hardy), seventh- and eighth-grade coaches (Mike Ryan and Dave Kahoun), Gilmour Academy (Shawn Dodd, John Yuha, Jason Bednar, Adam Lesko), Perry Pirates (Matt Rosati, Jim DiPofi and the entire staff).”

He also credited Anthony Kukwa and Coach Mike Crissinger for pushing him in the weight room, and also praised the tutelage of former Lake Catholic and Iowa Hawkeye quarterback Ricky Stanzi for their work with him.

“I would like to thank all the schools who recruited me during the process, especially John Carroll University and Lake Erie College,” he said. “Both are great programs and made this decision extremely difficult.

“Let the next chapter in my football life begin!”