By all accounts, University of New Hampshire (UNH) sophomore quarterback Max Brosmer was in the best shape of his life ahead of the 2021 fall campaign. On the heels of his third offseason in the program, teammates commended Brosmer’s decision making and athleticism during training camp. A season where Brosmer and the Wildcats were going to have to prove they belonged in the conversation at the top of the Colonial Athletic Association (CAA) quickly turned into one where Brosmer had to prove himself not only as a quarterback, but a coach. 

Aug. 14, 19 days before the Wildcats were set to kick-off their season at Stony Brook, Brosmer threw what will go down as one of the costliest interceptions of his collegiate career.  

As training camp was winding down and preparation for week one was ramping up, Brosmer threw an interception in a team scrimmage and found himself in the wrong place at the wrong time trying to make up for his lapse. After suffering a torn left LCL in high school Brosmer said, “immediately my mind went to all the negatives.”  

He suffered a torn right ACL and meniscus on that play, ending any chance of the Georgia native seeing the field again in 2021. 

While the team was immediately swung in a different direction at quarterback – naming sophomore Bret Edwards as the starter – Brosmer also was forced to settle into a new role. His season on the field may have been put to an end, but coaches and teammates say that the quarterback was just as bought in as he was prior to the injury and helped the team every day. 

“I think there are positives to injuries although it’s seemingly negative,” said Brosmer. “You just have to focus on what you can do and what you can change.” 

Assuming the role of player-coach is something that he had to adjust to but said during the season that he thought his coaching skills were growing day-by-day. Senior captain Nick Lorden noted Brosmer’s dedication to the new role saying, “you couldn’t ask for a better guy to step in and assume a completely new role off the field; he was still just as focused.” 

Lorden continued, “He was in the film room every day working on the game plan with the coaches, coaching up the quarterbacks, coaching up the receivers. He was just as bought in as he always had been when he was healthy. I think the offense should be thankful that we had a guy like that to continue to lead in his unfortunate situation.” 

Gameday looked a little different this year for Brosmer; he traded in his helmet, jersey and shoulder pads for a knee brace, hoodie and a headset. Head coach Sean McDonnell said that Brosmer was involved in some of the play calls while keeping up good communication with Edwards and quarterbacks coach Ricky Santos. He also helped in relaying the plays to the offense alongside the signaler on the sideline. 

McDonnell did note that there were some shortcomings in terms of Brosmer’s coaching capabilities while on crutches, however. 

“[Brosmer] has been very good at staying connected with everything we’re doing,” McDonnell noted. “You’ll see him on the sideline with a script. The problem we’ve got is him being on the field. He can’t get close enough to the players and be standing next to them because there’s a chance he’s going to get run over. “ 

As for the future of Brosmer, he’ll look to get some reps in during spring practice in non-contact drills and should be fully cleared to return by the summer. He should have three more years of eligibility after likely receiving a medical redshirt this season. The sophomore quarterback will look to regain his spot at the top of the depth chart come next season after the team limped to a 3-8 record in 2021 with Edwards as the primary quarterback. 

Photo courtesy of Cameron Beall