Powerful Byron lineman Brevin Brakke makes his college commitment

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Dec. 23—BYRON — The Byron High School football team has had some dominant linemen in recent seasons.

Star running back Carson Heimer constantly praised the play of the big men in front of him, as Heimer ran for more than 1,300 yards and 18 touchdowns in seven games.

One of those big guys who paved the way was 6-foot, 290-pound senior Brevin Brakke. The bruising two-way lineman stood out even more on the defensive side of the ball, where he was named the Skyway District Defensive Lineman of the Year.

All of Brakke's hard work to help his team succeed has now led to success for him, too. Brakke announced last week that he has committed to play college football at Division II Southwest State Minnesota University, in Marshall.

He made the announcement on his X (formerly twitter) account, stating: "I'm excited to announce my commitment to play football at Southwest Minnesota State University! I'm incredibly grateful to my family, coaches, and teammates for their constant support throughout this journey. I can't wait to get to work and represent SMSU at the next level."

Brakke was selected as a Post Bulletin All-Area First Team defensive lineman. His head coach at Byron, Ben Halder, said Brakke anchored the Bears' stout defensive line, and that he has great strength and size, is quite agile and quick, and he pursues the football extremely well.

Brakke also had offers from Bethel and Gustavus, among others, but he chose Southwest Minnesota State, where he'll be teammates again with Byron teammates Ben Steele and Gabe Coshenet. Steele committed to the Mustangs in mid-July, and Coshenet committed in late November.

Brakke anchored the defensive line for a Bears team that finished 9-1 this season and reached the Section 1, Class 4A championship game. The Bears allowed just 13.2 points per game, the seventh-best mark among Class 4A teams in the state in 2025.

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