This fall, the Trojan football team was the talk of the town. The team had an impressive season and went down to state for the first time since 2004. Although the roster was largely made up of underclassmen, the coaches counted on a handful of seniors to lead the team, one of them being senior linebacker Cael Brezina.
On the field, Brezina led the defense to an impressive season, tallying over 100 tackles and earning All-State honors. However, his favorite accomplishment was making it to the state championship with his teammates.
“Being a senior and a captain on the team was so meaningful when you have a group of guys that just kept finding a way to win big games,” Brezina said. “At the beginning of the season, all odds were stacked against us, but we kept improving and that was very special. The whole experience was a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity, and it was amazing to feel the wide community support.”
Brezina’s dad played football in college, and although Cael didn’t start playing until eighth grade, football has always been his biggest interest. During his sophomore year, he dove into the world of recruiting.
“My first year of football I wasn’t even on the gold Panthers team, but I was always pushing to improve and be the best,” Brezina said. “It’s hard to explain in words what football means to me. It has given me countless opportunities and relationships that I am forever grateful for.”
After learning more about sports recruiting, Brezina began to gain interest from schools. Ammasing offers from schools such as Syracuse, Indiana, Army, and Air Force, before committing to Iowa State June 6.
“The biggest thing that made me choose Iowa State over other schools was my relationship with the coaches. Throughout the recruiting process, there was always constant contact and I felt a very personal connection,” Brezina said.
After choosing Iowa State, Brezina chose to graduate a semester early to jumpstart his college football career. Brezina is eager to learn the playbook and hopes that starting classes and training earlier will help him achieve his goals.
“I think you have to set high goals to achieve greatness, and I am going to push myself to the limits to achieve those,” Brezina said. “My goal is to start as a freshman and be All Big-12 my true freshman year.”
Brezina hopes his college football career will eventually lead to a career in the NFL, where he will continue to play the sport he’s loved since he was a kid. But, by graduating early, he will miss senior traditions like Prom and senior assassin.
“I am super excited to get to work at Iowa State early because I feel like I am ready to get going in the next chapter of my life,” Brezina said. “It’s sad to miss the fun senior activities at the end of the year, but at the end of the day I felt like I was making the best decision for myself to reach my goals.”
Brezina moves into ISU Jan. 13 and will begin classes Jan. 16.
