How this Washington football commit is stepping out of his brother’s shadow

BURIEN — July 1 will always be a significant day for the Colman-Brusa family. It was the day Derek Colman-Brusa put his name on the recruiting map. 

Back in 2022, Derek was offered his first college football scholarship by Kalen DeBoer, Washington’s coach at the time, after attending one of UW’s summer camps. The Huskies’ offer sparked Derek’s recruitment, and soon schools from across the country were reaching out to the family. He’d just completed eighth grade. 

“I felt so happy for him,” said Lowen Colman-Brusa, Derek’s older brother. “I was just excited to share that moment with him.”

Unlike Derek, Lowen — a 6-foot-5, 285-pound offensive lineman at Kennedy Catholic High School — had to wait for his Washington offer. It took nearly two years and an entirely new coaching staff, but on June 6, 2024, the Huskies and offensive coordinator Brennan Carroll extended Lowen a scholarship. He committed less than a month later on July 4.

A three-star prospect according to 247Sports composite rankings, Lowen is the lowest-rated player that isn’t a specialist in Washington’s 2025 recruiting class. But the Burien native, who was described as a late bloomer by Kennedy Catholic coach Pat Jones, knows how to be patient, have faith in a routine and perhaps most important, have faith in himself.

“Lowen worked really hard for this,” Derek said. “He really had to trust the process for this, so I’m just very proud of him.” 

While recruiting sites may not have picked up on Lowen’s talent early, Jones, who’s been part of the Kennedy Catholic staff since 2019, said the Lancers saw his potential immediately. 

Lowen stepped up to make several starts on varsity as a freshman after injuries decimated Kennedy Catholic’s offensive line in 2021. He maintained his starting spot during his sophomore season as the Lancers made it to the 2022 Class 4A state championship game, ultimately losing 24-22 to Lake Stevens High School. 

The Lancers coach described Lowen as a “very bright, very cheerful” player during his first two seasons at Kennedy Catholic. Jones, the longtime offensive line coach at Bellevue High School, said Lowen reminded him of Wolverine standouts like David DeCastro, Stephen Schilling, Marcus Henry and Jake Eldrenkamp, a first-team All-Pac-12 honoree with the Huskies in 2016. 

Those similarities included needing time to grow into their bodies. 

“When you’re 300 pounds as a freshman, you’re just all over the place,” Jones said. 

Waiting to mature physically wasn’t Lowen’s only challenge, Jones noted. The Lancers coaches felt Lowen lacked some nastiness and aggression during his first two seasons, so Sheldon Cross, Jones’ predecessor at Kennedy Catholic, began placing a boombox blasting music by Sevendust, a heavy-metal band from Atlanta, right behind Lowen at practices to get under the offensive lineman’s skin.

“It just takes time as a big guy,” Jones said. 

Time, however, was one thing Kennedy Catholic didn’t have. Jones needed a new left tackle following the 2022 season after incumbent starter Micah Banuelos graduated and departed for USC. Lowen, already essentially a two-year starter, was the obvious choice. 

Derek said there was a shift in Lowen’s demeanor entering the offseason. A hunger. Sevendust wasn’t needed anymore to get him into the right state of mind. 

Yet Lowen’s ability to flip the switch wasn’t triggered by anything external. Instead, he said it stemmed from his own increasing confidence. 

“Just growing into my body, knowing how to use it with my size and strength definitely helped with my mentality,” he said. 

His work began to pay off on the field, too. Lowen was a first-team All-North Puget Sound League selection in 2023 as a junior. Kennedy Catholic made it to the state quarterfinals before losing to Lake Stevens again, 44-21.

Lowen’s play wasn’t gaining him much interest at the next level though. While Derek, the state’s top recruit in the 2026 recruiting cycle, drew interest from programs like Ohio State, Michigan, Tennessee, USC, Stanford and Oregon among others, Lowen finished his junior year without a single scholarship offer. 

The elder Colman-Brusa brother said he never wanted to take attention away from Derek’s achievements, and Lowen acknowledged his younger brother’s high rating kept Lowen on recruiting radars. Jones said Lowen handled the entire recruiting process “very maturely.”

“There were times when he was concerned, like, ‘Why not me?’” Jones said. “And it’s hard because it’s his little brother. But those two say they never fight and they don’t. … Those two really get along. They do a lot of things together. They’re partners in a lot of things. They have a great brotherly bond. Lowen never looked at it like a negative.”

Lowen’s desire to improve also stayed consistent despite the recruiting setbacks. He began to take cardio training seriously, aided by his offseason sport water polo. He ran a 7 minute, 51 second mile at 300 pounds, obliterating the nine-minute threshold Jones set for offensive linemen.

The Colman-Brusa brothers also embarked on a massive nutrition overhaul following the 2023 season. Lowen, a self-admitted candy enthusiast, cut junk food out of his diet. He began researching supplements. Kennedy Catholic defensive line coach Manase Hopoi, a former UW defensive lineman, said Lowen was constantly in the weight room after his junior year. 

“I see that work ethic uniquely with athletes that want to separate themselves from everyone else,” Hopoi said. “When you see athletes that want to be elite. The greatest. They go above and beyond.” 

On April 5, 2024, Lowen and Derek were training at Velocity Athlete Development, about 35 miles north of Atlanta, when coaches from Duke reached out asking if both brothers were available to tour their facilities in Durham, N.C., the next day.

So the family immediately left Georgia and drove around six hours to North Carolina. Derek said they didn’t arrive at their hotel until 1 a.m. before heading to campus around 11 a.m. After briefly splitting up to talk to different position coaches, the brothers reunited and Lowen told Derek he’d — finally — received his first scholarship offer. 

“It was just a huge moment,” Derek said. “I remember just giving my brother a hug. We were just in tears because it was just a truly beautiful moment.”

Two months later, Lowen picked up an offer from Washington. Jones said the offensive lineman always wanted to be a Husky. Lowen will sign with UW on Dec. 4, early signing day, and enroll during the summer. 

A first-team All-NPSL selection on offensive and defensive line as a senior in 2024, Lowen said UW’s coaching staff envisions him as a guard, but is also potentially open to him playing defensive tackle. Jones said Lowen has the foot speed to stay at offensive tackle at the next level, too. 

Whatever he ends up playing, Lowen has already experienced what it’s like to grind in the dark. To seek improvement when it feels like no one’s watching. To have faith and patience in himself and his process even when the immediate gratification isn’t there. 

Said Hopoi: “He’s built his own ship so he sails it the way he wants to sail it. No matter if he goes to the next level and starts every game or rotates in there, he’ll be able to contribute to that team and bring it to another level because of who he is and how he is.”