Spencer Brasch’s favorite quarterback of all-time is Packers signal caller Aaron Rodgers. Next fall, that association will only grow as Brasch will enter Rodgers’ alma mater, the University of California, Berkeley, to compete for the starting quarterback job as a freshman.

When Spencer first picked up a football as an infant, his father, Eric Brasch, marveled at how far his son could throw the ball.

“Our goal was for him to stand on one side of the street … and me stand on the other side and … throw a football across the street all the way to me,” Eric said.

After a few shots, the youngster fired it from one driveway to the other in their neighborhood, at 3 years old.  

By age 5, Brasch put his right arm to use and began playing organized football and coach-pitch baseball.

Fast-forward to 2018, Brasch is a senior quarterback at Higley High School in Gilbert. He has tallied 56 touchdown passes in 19 games as a starter.

As a dual-threat prospect, he also ran for 898 yards and 13 touchdowns in his junior season.

Higley coach Eddy Zubey raved about Brasch’s intelligence and superior arm strength on the field, but according to Brasch’s father, it is his hand size that has garnered high acclaim from numerous college coaches.

His 9 7/8-inch hands, to go along with his 6-foot-2 frame, are measurables that are already comparable to some NFL quarterbacks.

“There’s some good paws on that kid,” Eric Brasch said.

He also said that it was a major talking point during his recruiting process.

Despite his performances on the field during his junior year, Brasch had no college scholarship offers until early April 2017. By the end of the month, he had 15 offers.

“We put all of our trust in (Coach Zubey),” Eric Brasch said. “It was just a whirlwind.”

As a 3-star recruit according to ESPN, the 189-pound quarterback began receiving offers from Power 5 schools like North Carolina State, Vanderbilt and Minnesota among many other Division I schools.

Ultimately, he settled on Cal in June 2018. There, he will be under the tutelage of quarterbacks coach and former NFL quarterback Marques Tuiasosopo.

“It was overwhelming at times,” Brasch said. “I’m glad I got into a great program, great school.”

Despite the fact that the Brasch family will see Spencer go off to Berkeley next year, they take pride in their deep Gilbert roots. He has remained in the Higley Unified School District throughout his academic years.

Both parents are also a part of the Higley football booster club, with his mother, Dawn Brasch, being the president.

“We’re a perfect example of, ‘If you are good enough, they will find you,’” Eric Brasch said.   

Spencer has a younger sister and 15 exchange student siblings. His parents have hosted these students for the past 10 years. The family still keeps in touch with them and have even began arranging for all of them to come to Arizona and attend Brasch’s graduation in May.

The 17-year-old is also active in his community. Three years ago, he was selected to join Higley Unified Sports, a program that provides disabled students the opportunity to participate in sports, along with general education students and student-athletes, like Brasch.

He has also been involved with Feed My Starving Children, a non-profit organization dedicated to distribute food to those in need.

“I get such a good joy from helping out other people,” Brasch said. “It’s just the way I was raised.”

Zubey has seen his starter up and close and personal for the past two years. He heaped high praise on Brasch and credited his parents for their job in raising him.

“Spencer is a very well-rounded kid," Zubey said. “He can get along with just about anybody.”