Breaststroker/Freestyler Hybrid Tommy Brewer Verbally Commits to Auburn

Tommy Brewer of Current Swimming in Bend, Oregon has verbally committed to become an Auburn Tiger next fall, he told SwimSwam late Sunday evening.

“I chose Auburn because when I took my official visit there I felt like I was at home,” Brewer said of his decision. “All the guys were so friendly and welcoming and the coaches were amazing. They really made the whole trip about me and what they had to offer me as an individual both athletically and academically so that I was as happy as possible. I felt like I belonged there.”

Brewer stacks up very similarly to the top recruit in Auburn’s last recruiting class: Jacob Molacek. Specifically, Brewer is a very good breaststroker and freestyler, with solid times across all four strokes. That’s important for Auburn, as they continue to center everything they do around the freestyle relays, and even with the National High School Record holder Molacek in the program are seeking depth in the breaststroke races.

Brewer’s best times in yards:

• 50 free – 20.73
• 100 free – 44.77
• 200 free – 1:37.48
• 100 back – 50.52
• 100 fly – 49.30
• 100 breast – 54.32
• 200 IM – 1:46.82

At the very least, Brewer’s times line him up to be a three event individual scorer at SEC’s as a freshman.

With big graduations in the freestyle events in the last two years, our best guess is that he’ll have a shot at earning a spot on at least the Auburn 400 and 800 free relays as a freshman as well, though that will take some development – development that Auburn coach Brett Hawke, one of the best freestyle coaches in the country, is apt to give him.

Like Molacek, Brewer is also very tall – part of the new breed of breaststrokers who look more like the traditional butterflier of yesteryear. Molacek measures in at 6’5″, and Brewer is even taller at 6’6″.

In high school competition, Brewer represents Summit High School. He’s the Oregon Class 5A Record holder in the 50 free (20.80) – with an overall record target of 20.32 this year. In total, he has six 5A state titles. In Oregon, 5A is the second-largest classification of high schools.

Brewer is also an equally good long course swimmer, where his best times include a 23.80 in the 50 free, a 1:03.5 in the 100 breast, a 2:16.6 in the 200 breast, and a 2:07.7 in the 200 IM. He was 12th at the 2014 Junior Nationals in the 100 breaststroke and 7th in the 200 breaststroke – the latter of which came despite not swimming a best time this past summer.

His improvements have been steady – as a 14-year old 8th-grader in 2011, Brewer was already under 59 seconds in the 100 yard breaststroke. Despite being so successful at a young age, his time progressions do not appear as though he’s plateaued yet. Taken in totality, his junior season was not his best to date in the breaststrokes, but was still a good year that saw best times in most of the freestyle races for him – a smart focus that greatly improved his recruiting value.