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Football Senior Blake Sweetman to Sign with Benedictine (Kansas) College

2/2/2026

Senior football center Blake Sweetman has committed to play and attend school at Benedictine (Kans.) College in Atchison, Kans. The Ravens are an NAIA school and compete in the Heart of America Athletic Conference.

“I am excited about joining the program,” said Sweetman. “They have produced Rimmington Award winners (the nation’s top center). I hope to show them I am their guy and become the next great center in the program. They are a really good program.”

Sweetman will play for the Head Coach Joel Osborn, who has led the program for five seasons. And was named the 2025 NAIA Coach of the Year. For Osborn, the honor comes on the heels of Benedictine's second trip to the NAIA Football Championship Series Semifinal, a 12-2 record, and the outright Heart South Championship. In five seasons under Coach Osborn, the Ravens have an overall record of 50-14 with four Heart South titles, 101 All-Heart South selections, and 18 NAIA All-America selections.

Sweetman’s position coaches have ties to Brophy and Coach Jewell.

“I am really happy with my positional coaches in Coach Jacob Leonard, who was coached by Jason Jewell at Glendale CC, and Coach Michael Grindey ‘18, who is Brophy faculty/coach Jim Grindey’s son and a Brophy grad. It is really cool that I will play for his son, and he coached me freshman year at Brophy.”

Sweetman was a two-year letter winner and earned All-Central Region honors as a senior. He has been a three-year letter winner in the wrestling program, a state championship qualifer and has been named the program’s Most Valuable Wrestler. He earned a fifth-place finish at High School Nationals to earn All-America honors.

“Blake battled through a significant back injury and produced a stellar senior season,” said Head Coach Jason Jewell. “Blake was named 2nd team all-region as a senior and was the point guard of our offense, setting all blocking schemes in both the run and pass game. I am now officially the old guy. Blake is going to play football at Benedictine for a young man named Jacob Leonard, who is now their offensive line coach and whom I coached at Glendale Community College, so this is a full-circle moment for me. Benedictine is one of the top NAIA schools in the country, and they have high expectations for Blake.”

Sweetman will join his older brother Jackson ‘25 on the Benedictine campus. He is a freshman on the wrestling team.

While Blake’s wrestling season was cut short this spring, he is excited about preparing for football next fall in Kansas.

“Football is so much fun,” said Sweetman. “It is my favorite thing to do ever. I don't know how else to put it. It is the most fun, and I love playing it. It was great to be a starter and earn those honors, especially after not starting before. I am really excited to play in college.”

Sweetman will join Josh Finch-Logan, who has committed to Western New Mexico, and Harrison Chambers, who will sign with Colorado Mesa, at the Brophy Football College Commitment Celebration on Feb. 4. Overall, eight Brophy players will continue playing college football in the fall after graduation.