Brett Brumbaugh the latest in WPIAL’s first family of quarterbacks
South Fayette quarterback Brett Brumbaugh has passed for 2,066 yards and 26 touchdowns so far this season.
Luke Brumabugh
Brett Brumbaugh
Christian Brumbaugh
If Western Pennsylvania maintains the label, “The cradle of quarterbacks,” its epicenter is currently nestled along the meandering roads between Cecil, McDonald, Oakdale and Bridgeville.
Those are the confines of the South Fayette School District, a place where quarterbacking takes on a record-setting, big game-winning meaning.
The tradition started with Niel Loebig, currently the football coach at Chartiers Valley, who became the first quarterback in the WPIAL to pass for 5,000 career yards. It continued with Andrew DiDonato. The latest is the strong-armed, mobile Brett Brumbaugh, a 6-4 stat-sheet filler who has guided the Lions to a 10-0 record and a place in tonight’s WPIAL Class AA quarterfinals against nearby rival Seton-La Salle, which South Fayette defeated 45-3 Sept. 27.
“We know how good we are and how good we can be,” said Brumbaugh, who has passed for 2,066 yards and 26 touchdowns this season. “We’re not expecting that kind of game again at all. The playoffs are a fresh year. We expect they’ll be ready for us.”
If Brumbaugh’s last name sounds familiar to football fans around the region, it should. It’s become synonymous with quarterbacking success. Brett is the third Brumbaugh brother to earn all-conference honors on the way to piloting a deep playoff run.
Christian Brumbaugh passed for a then WPIAL-record 7,164 yards with 72 touchdowns and he helped a senior-laden South Fayette to the 2010 WPIAL championship and an appearance in the PIAA title game. He also played a key role on the Lions’ 2010 PIAA championship basketball team. Brumbaugh racked up several individual honors, including the Observer-Reporter Football Player of the Year (twice) and the O-R Boys Athlete of the Year for the 2010-11 school year.
Brett Brumbaugh served as a ball boy on that team.
“It was a pretty cool experience being one the sidelines every game of his junior and senior years,” Brett said. “I was able to follow how he went about his business, how he reacted to negative plays. He didn’t have many, but when he did, he took command of the huddle right away.
Luke Brumbaugh played football at South Fayette before enrolling at Seton-La Salle. At the school that includes current Steelers quarterback Bruce Gradkowski and former Pitt starter Bill Stull as alums, he quickly became the Rebels’ starting quarterback. He amassed 3,700 passing yards at Seton-La Salle was a dual-threat quarterback.
“Luke is definitely the most athletic in our family,” Brett said. “Getting to compete against him was probably one the biggest moments I’ve had. He picked me off, but he’s helped me a lot with breaking down film and learning the game.”
Neither older brother thought Brett had much of a chance at continuing the family tradition. After all, Brett spent most of his youth playing as a tight end or offensive line.
“No one really expected him to be as good as he is,” Luke said. “Christian and I always picked on him. He was a good athlete, but not a standout kid. They never tried him at quarterback until eighth grade.”
Following Christian’s standout high school career, he accepted a scholarship offer to William & Mary, a member of the Football Championship Subdivision and located in Williamsburg, Va. Brumbaugh is a redshirt sophomore and part of the travel squad as second-team quarterback.
“Things are going really well. We’re just coming off a big win. We just beat New Hampshire, which is one of the top schools,” Christian said. “We shut them out. It’s great to be part of a team that believes in itself. We were 2-9 last year, but we’ve come together. We went into West Virginia and gave them a game.”
Luke Brumbaugh is a freshman at Robert Morris and quickly adjusted to the college game. He’s part of the travel squad already and could become an offensive contributor soon.
“At first, the size and speed was pretty overwhelming, to say the least, and it was tough to learn the offense,” Luke said. “In college, you have to account for every player on defense. In high school, there might just be a player or two you worried about. But I got used to the size and speed of it. It helps getting those reps in practice.”
Like his brothers, Brett Brumbaugh figures to play college football. At 6-4, he’s got the size. He also has his oldest brother’s ability to pick apart defenses.
“Brett is a little bit ahead of me in terms of understanding the game when I was in his position,” Christian said. “For me, it was my senior year when everything started to click. With Brett, his game knowledge is already there.”
Brett also possesses the athletic ability of Luke, though South Fayette hasn’t needed him to run the football. The Lions have yet to be challenged, their closest margin of victory being a 41-14 win over McGuffey in the season opener. South Fayette hasn’t allowed a point since Oct. 4.
“It would be nice if a game or two would have come down to the wire, but our defense does such a great job,” Brett said. “We don’t have that late-game experience yet, but we have a lot of seniors who know what to do.”
A lack of on-field competition hasn’t kept college recruiters from noticing Brumbaugh. Akron and Temple have already offered scholarships. Pitt and Penn State have shown significant interest. College recruiting is one of many topics the three brothers discuss the sport via group messaging.
And while chances are good that Brett Brumbaugh will become the third college quarterback in his immediate family, there’s no doubting where the talent came from.
His mother.
Two of Maria Brumbaugh’s brothers played the position at the college level. Wayne Gigante was a quarterback at Illinois. Paul Gigante played for St. Vincent. Both enjoyed standout careers at Bishop Canevin.
“Brett was too big growing up. He always had to play along the line, so we didn’t see this coming,” said Maria, whose weekends are filled with football trips alongside her husband, Randy. “Christian you could see it because he was so smart. Luke was a good athlete, almost identical to Wayne (Gigante). But what they’ve been able to do is huge, and it makes us proud.”
Tale of the Tape
Christian Brumbaugh
Currently: Sophomore QB at William & Mary
High school numbers: Passed for 7,164 yards and 72 touchdowns at South Fayette. Threw 52 touchdown passes as a senior.
Luke Brumbaugh
Currently: Freshman QB at Robert Morris
High school numbers: Passed for 3,415 yards and 33 touchdowns in two seasons as the starter at Seton-La Salle.
Brett Brumbaugh:
Currently: Junior QB at South Fayette
High school numbers: Has passed for 4,955 career yards and 66 touchdowns in three years as a starter.