MENOMONIE – UW-Stout junior defensive back Brooks Brewer has earned a spot on the D3football.com Preseason All-America second team, as the Blue Devils prepare for the 2025 season.

Brewer, a Menomonie native and 2025 team captain, was one of the WIAC’s most dominant defenders in 2024. He played in all 11 games, leading the league with 103 tackles, including 44 solo stops. Brewer also tied for the conference lead with four interceptions while adding 1.5 tackles for loss and five pass breakups. His performance earned him second-team All-WIAC and D3football.com second-team All-Region honors as a sophomore.

As a freshman in 2023, Brewer saw action in seven games, recording eight tackles and a fumble recovery. A 2022 graduate of Menomonie High School, he was a first-team all-conference running back and an all-region linebacker before joining UW-Stout.

The 6-foot, 195-pound mechanical engineering major enters his junior year as a cornerstone of the Blue Devil defense. Brewer will lead a unit looking to build on last season’s success.

The Blue Devils last season advanced to post-season play for the first time since 2000.

UW-Stout opens the 2025 season on Saturday, Sept. 6, when the Blue Devils host the University of Dubuque at Williams Stadium. Kickoff is set for 1 p.m.

UW-Stout Season Preview

The Blue Devils, who finished 6-5 overall and 4-3 in WIAC play last season, return a strong nucleus of players as they enter head coach Clayt Birmingham’s 15th year at the helm. The 2025 squad features a mix of experienced veterans and key playmakers poised to keep the Blue Devils competitive in a league that sees multiple teams in the national rankings every year.

Stout enters the season receiving votes in the AFCA Preseason Coaches Poll, one of seven WIAC programs to do so. That recognition comes on the heels of a historic 2024 season, when the Blue Devils advanced to postseason play for the first time since 2000. Their 6-5 finish, highlighted by four WIAC victories, marked a major step forward for the program.

Leading the way for Stout is junior defensive back Brooks Brewer, who was named to the 2025 D3football.com Preseason All-America Second Team after earning All-WIAC second-team honors a year ago. Brewer anchors a defensive unit that also returns standout junior lineman Walker Beyerl and senior linebacker Blaine Siedl, both of whom provide stability and leadership. Senior lineman Abe Helsell and junior linebacker Braxton Munnikuysen add depth to a defense that will look to slow down some of the nation’s top-ranked offenses.

On offense, the Blue Devils will be led by senior quarterback Adam Moen, a second-team All-WIAC selection in 2024. Moen gives Stout both passing and rushing ability, making him one of the most versatile signal-callers in the league. Protecting him up front will be a veteran offensive line featuring seniors Sam Brouillet and TJ Scott, along with returning senior running back Ben Tolkinen. Wide receiver Devonte Evans, a junior, is expected to be a primary target in the passing game.

While Stout graduated several starters on both sides of the ball, the returning core gives Birmingham optimism that the Blue Devils can continue to push upward in the conference standings.

The WIAC preseason poll places UW-La Crosse as the favorite to win the league after four straight NCAA appearances. The Eagles, ranked No. 10 in the AFCA preseason poll, edged out UW-Platteville, which claimed its first WIAC crown since 1980 last year. UW-River Falls and UW-Whitewater, both nationally ranked, round out the top four, followed by UW-Oshkosh and Stout. UW-Eau Claire and UW-Stevens Point complete the poll.

UW-Stout Sports Information and Chat GPT assisted in the production of these stories.