Gig Harbor lineman Brenden Rivera commits to Eastern Washington

Another player from the Gig Harbor High School football team has announced their plans for academics and athletics after they graduate.

Brenden Rivera, a senior offensive lineman, officially committed to Eastern Washington University, announcing his commitment on Twitter on Nov. 3. His teammate and fellow lineman, Sam Peacock, committed to Oregon State earlier this year in July.

“Everything just felt right, the coaching staff was very welcoming to me and my family,” he said. “I like their program, everything they’ve accomplished over the past few years. I think they give me the best opportunity to be the best person and football player I can be.”

Although he had other offers from schools like San Diego, Northern Colorado and Columbia, Rivera ultimately chose to stay in-state with Eastern Washington.

Rivera’s commitment is the culmination of his nine year playing career. What really won him over above everything else was how welcoming the campus was to him and his family.

“I just wanted a place that my family felt good for me being there,” he said. “The game day atmosphere, my family enjoyed the amount of interaction the crowd had with the game; like how everyone was invested in the game.”

If Rivera ever needed any guidance on what the recruiting process was like and if he needed people to talk to that went through a similar process, his parents helped fill in that role.

“My mom is a teacher so she helps out with a lot of things when it comes to giving out advice,” he said. “And my dad is a parole officer so he also helps giving advice on everything. They set me up for a lot of success in the future and I am grateful for that.’

Both of his parents were also college athletes. His mother Carol played lacrosse at University of California-Davis, and his father Greg ran cross country at Cal State University, East Bay.

So naturally, that’s where Rivera got some of his athletic prowess.

“I’m excited for Brenden, I think he has a great opportunity at Eastern,” said coach George Fairhart. “He has all of the intangibles: good size, good feet, he has a high football IQ, he’s tough, he’s smart. He really has all those things.”

Along with Peacock, Rivera helped anchor a very good offensive and defensive line unit that was considered to be one of the strengths of the Tides.

Because Rivera and Peacock had incredible talent at their positions, they were recruited pretty heavily by multiple schools. This gave them yet another football connection: being there to support each other during the crazy recruiting process.

“Sam and I have gone through the whole process ourselves,” Rivera said. “We talked to coaches in the spring and we went to some of the same camps. Having someone else there with you to go through it kind of helps because they understand what you’re thinking.”

Not only was Rivera able to seek the guidance from his family and one of his teammates going through a similar process, Rivera also had a little help from Fairhart.

As a coach, Fairhart also worked hard behind the scenes trying to get film out to schools to show off his athletes and coordinating visits. Now that two of his esteemed linemen are heading off to play at the next level, Fairhart’s hard work for them has paid off.

“Well I’m proud of those kids, and quite honestly we were a little bit lucky to have two [Division One] linemen in the same year,” Fairhart said. “Those kids have worked really hard to get recognized. They have the intangibles… We’re fortunate to have kids like Brenden and Sam.”

With his commitment, Rivera now goes to a program with an intact coaching staff that will really develop his skills for the next level of play.

For Rivera, the opportunity to continue his playing career at Eastern is absolutely a dream come true. His hard work through the ups and downs at has Gig Harbor paid off.

Now he will begin a new journey under coaches Aaron Best and Jase Butorac as he takes his talents to Cheney, Washington.

“It is just awesome, it is something that I’ve dreamt about for a long time,” he said. “Having my dreams become a reality is just really awesome. I am grateful that the opportunity presented itself.”

The Tides’ season unfortunately came to an end last Friday as they were defeated 34-14 by Eastside Catholic. However, that won’t stop Rivera from preparing for his next step.

This story was originally published November 13, 2019 at 6:00 AM.