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Gophers focus on Brewster

Sources: Broncos tight ends coach will be Minnesota coach

Jeff Legwold, Rocky Mountain News

Published January 16, 2007 at midnight

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Broncos tight ends coach Tim Brewster is expected to be formally introduced today as the new football coach at the University of Minnesota.

Brewster spent Monday night in the Denver area with Gophers athletic department officials - including athletic director Joel Maturi - according to two league sources and was told before the dinner to be ready to return to Minneapolis today for a formal news conference.

The 46-year-old Brewster, who had his first interview for the job in Chicago in recent days, has been the Broncos tight ends coach for the past two seasons.

Minnesota has been searching for a new coach since Dec. 31, when Glen Mason was fired two days after the Golden Gophers blew a 31-point lead and lost to Texas Tech in the Insight Bowl.

Mason was 64-57 in 10 years and led the Golden Gophers to seven bowl games. He also had four years remaining on his contract when he was fired.

The Golden Gophers also are believed to have interviewed at least Texas Christian coach Gary Patterson and Notre Dame offensive coordinator Michael Haywood.

Brewster did not return a call seeking comment Monday night, but he has told the Broncos he might get the job.

A former recruiting coordinator at the University of North Carolina and assistant coach at the University of Texas, Brewster has long said he wanted to be a head coach in college. He drew some early interest this season for the Iowa State job as well as the opening at Stanford.

Former Texas defensive coordinator Gene Chizik, a former colleague of Brewster's with the Longhorns, and Jim Harbaugh were hired for those jobs.

Brewster had said when the Iowa State job opened it would have "to be the right job" for him to move because he still had two sons in high school in the Denver area.

It's possible Brewster's middle son, Clint, who played quarterback for Mullen, could face his father's new team as well. Clint Brewster has verbally committed to Illinois, where Tim Brewster was the captain of the school's 1984 Rose Bowl team.

The move would leave another opening on coach Mike Shanahan's staff. Shanahan has fired defensive coordinator Larry Coyer and defensive line coach Andre Patterson - he replaced them with Jim Bates and Bill Johnson - this offseason and is expected to add a longtime Bates associate, Joe Baker, as a defensive assistant.

Brewster's departure is expected to allow Shanahan to maneuver his offensive staff around as well in the coming days.

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