Like father, like son.

Dakota Brower of Oak Hall School is continuing a tradition in the family.

Brower’s dad, Randy, played college football, and his son Dakota will get that opportunity too after signing with the University of Pennsylvania this past spring.

“My dad played football in college, so that’s what got me into it,” Dakota Brower said. “I started football in, I believe, the second grade.”

As a junior in 2023 at OHS, Dakota averaged 10 yards per carry, scored 10 touchdowns on the ground, and threw for 1,215 yards and 12 touchdowns with only three interceptions for the Eagles.

He was named Sunshine State Athletic Association (SSAA) All-State as a quarterback, punt and kick returner, kicker and punter.

“Dakota is one of the best athletes, let alone football players, that I’ve ever coached,” said Oak Hall football coach R.J. Fuhr, who left for Union County (Lake Butler) as an assistant coach last summer but is back for the 2025 season. “He was also one of the best free safeties in the SSAA. He does things on the football field that you can’t coach. His combination of speed, strength, quickness and athleticism makes him very unique, and those attributes will serve him very well at the next level at U Penn.”

In addition to football, Dakota competed in basketball, tennis and track and field during his time with the Eagles.

He also likes to play golf in his free time.

“He’s an athlete,” Randy said. “He went to state as an eighth grader in tennis, which is probably what he should have stayed in, he was the No. 1 kicker/punter in the nation in middle school, All-State in three events in track and field, All-State in six positions in football, so he is everything.”

But nothing compared to playing football under the lights on Friday night.

Two of Dakota’s top high school sports moments were in football, including a game-winning touchdown his freshman year against Seven Rivers Christian (Lecanto) in his first-ever start.

The previous week, he was forced into action in the second game of last season against Bishop Snyder (Jacksonville) when senior quarterback Georgia El-Semarani went down with an injury.

The following week, he threw a 2-yard touchdown pass to tight end Dylan Provencher with fractions of a second left on the clock as the Eagles stunned the visiting Warriors, 30-23.

His next big moment was during his junior year when he ran a punt back for a touchdown against P.K. Yonge.

The Eagles trailed 8-0 at the half, but Dakota’s big play in the second half sparked a 20-8 comeback win against the Blue Wave in the first regular season meeting between the two schools since 1985 and just the second all-time.

It was during his junior year that the Eagles set the school record with 74 points in a game against Eagle’s View (Jacksonville), earning Dakota Athlete of the Week honors after finishing with 267 yards of total offense and four touchdowns in just one half of football.

This past football season, Randy served as interim coach of the Oak Hall football team.

“He’s a great kid to coach,” Randy said. “He’s a great athlete, incredible competitor. You talk about a game day guy…it’s fun to have him on our side.”

Dakota (5’11, 180) suffered a broken clavicle (collarbone) in a season-opening loss to Bell on Aug. 16, 2024.

The Eagles rallied from a 21-0 deficit to tie the game prior to Dakota’s injury.

He missed the next two games and then returned to kick and punt for two games, but when he came back unexpectedly in late September, he completed 14-of-19 passes for 312 yards and four touchdowns in a 41-12 win at home against Eagle’s View Academy (Jacksonville).

Despite only playing six games his senior year, he still threw for 1,113 yards and eight touchdowns and rushed for 147 yards on 32 carries (4.6 avg.) with three touchdowns.

This past track season, he made Mainstreet’s All Area team after setting a school record in the Class 1A 400 final and ended with a personal best of 48.38 seconds. He lost the state title by 0.002 seconds to Michael Winfield of Benjamin School (West Palm Beach).

Dakota also placed sixth in the 200 with a time of 22.18, helping lead the Eagles to a 10th-place finish in the Class 1A boys team standings.

“Dakota is a standout athlete known for his talent and determination,” Oak Hall track and field coach Edwin McTureous said. “He finished his senior year on a high note with an impressive final season.”

He also made the All Area team as a junior after placing fourth in the Class 1A 400 competition with a time of 49.78. He also finished eighth in the 200 (22.43), 11th in the 100 (11.16), and was on the 4×400 relay team that finished sixth with a time of 3:27.38.

“Winning four individual events at districts [triple jump, 100, 200 and 400] and qualifying for four individual [events] at the state championships, he is the first runner in Oak Hall history to achieve this remarkable feat,” McTureous said.

Brower was a high honor roll student but was able to juggle the demands of a student-athlete.

“Just making sure I had enough time to study and get my work done, and the rest of the time make sure I had enough time to practice my sport,” he said about managing his time.

The hard work has paid off and he’ll be playing Division-I football at an Ivy League school this fall.

“The other things that make Dakota a great football player and track star are his mental and physical toughness, work ethic and competitive drive,” Fuhr said. “Dakota is also an incredible tennis player and basketball player, which further highlights what an amazing athlete he is. We will miss Dakota this fall, but we all know he will do great things at Penn.”