Driving Force
10/9/2025 10:56:00 AM | Men's Golf, Front Row Features
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When JD Fletcher was hired to lead Miami Golf in August 2021, he knew his first recruiting class would be crucial. Fletcher, who was taking over a program ranked 175th in the country, had aspirations of guiding the RedHawks into the top 100 and building a perennial contender.
Enter Brett Podobinski, Cameron Pero and Michael Weber.
The three golfers have been part of a resurgence for Miami Golf over the past three-and-a-half years, helping the Red and White to success after success during their time in Oxford.
Individual victories? Check. (Podobinski captured first place at the Ross Collegiate Classic in the spring of 2024, while Weber won the Purdue Fall Invite a few months later.)
Team victory? Check. (The RedHawks claimed their first team title under Fletcher at the 2024 Kapolei Invitational in Hawaii 12 months ago.)
Individual accolades? Check. (All three student-athletes have earned MAC Golfer of the Week, all three finished in the top 25 at last year's MAC Championships, and the trio has combined to win three All-MAC honors).
Re-writing the record books? Check. (Both Pero and Podobinski have already produced season scoring averages that rank among the top 10 in program history.)
It's exactly what Fletcher envisioned and hoped for when he made his recruiting pitch to each player shortly after taking over.
"'Fletch' was super-interested and super-passionate about where he wanted this program to go and where he wanted it to be," Weber recalled. "I think having a coach that cares that much about a program is something that's hard to find, and you could tell it was genuine.
"When I got on the phone with him and he laid down his plan for the program, showed me the school and talked to me about the school – I kind of fell in love instantly: Just that passion for the program and wanting to improve and wanting to take this school to somewhere that we're competing with Power Four programs now day-in and day-out.
"I think that's pretty special for a mid-major program in the Midwest."
Weber and Pero both came to Oxford from Ontario, while Podobinski grew up basically in Fletcher's backyard (both attended the same high school and grew up playing at the same country club in Dublin, Ohio). The three senior captains have become best friends during their time at Miami (including sharing a house the last several years), and have had a significant influence on each other's golf games in the process.
"I came from a small town and a course where golf isn't pushed very competitively a whole lot," said Pero, whose father, Mike, was a 1989 All-American for Miami.
"It's been very nice to have those two guys —and everyone else on my team— to compete every day. You know that if you're not having a good day, someone's going to beat you, so you've got to come to the course prepared to give it your all and focus.
"It's really instilled a mentality of showing up and being ready to go instead of just going through the motions."
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"They've definitely helped me become a better golfer and a better person as well," Podobinski added. "We push each other really hard. We all want to beat each other, but we're friends and teammates. Practicing together all the time really hammers that home…
"They definitely [drive] me in the right direction."
According to Weber, the current senior class is trying to continue the legacy of what they learned from the 'older guys' when they first arrived, including All-MAC standouts such as Jack Ebner and Danny Fisher. "They were great to us, and they taught me so much about playing golf and being at Miami," Weber said. "If you ever had a bad tournament, they'd be the first two guys to tell you not to worry about it.
"As a freshman, sometimes you feel like you let the team down after a bad round. Golf's not a team sport until you get to college, really…But they were the first guys to say, 'Hey', we've all had our bad rounds. Just keep a good attitude, keep pushing yourself, and all you can do is get better every single day.'
"In the long term, that's going to pay off, and I think it has for all of us on the team. Being part of this group that's trying to work and accomplish something every single day is pretty special, and to be with Cam and Brett all four years has been incredible.
"Living with them, getting to know them, and [them] becoming two of my best friends: It's been an awesome experience."
Each senior golfer brings a different playing style and leadership approach to Miami's team. Pero is the quiet, serious one. "He doesn't say much, he goes about his business like a pro and he works extremely hard; he leads by example," Fletcher explained. Weber "is the most down-to-earth, great captain any coach could ever ask for. Any guy on the team could go have a conversation with him."
And Podobinski?
"'Podo' is like the biggest personality in golf," Fletcher laughed. "I love that he owns who he is, and I think with how confident he is…it only helps him play some of the best golf that Miami Golf's really seen in the last couple years: Super-entertaining to watch!"
Miami fans in southwest Ohio will have the opportunity to see that in person next week, as the RedHawks host the highly-anticipated Moraine Invitational in Kettering, Ohio Oct. 13-14. The tournament will be played at the iconic Moraine Country Club (site of the prestigious Western Amateur Championship in August 2024), and will feature a powerhouse lineup of participating institutions. The 14-team field includes six Power Four schools —Illinois, Iowa, Michigan, Missouri, Ohio State and Penn State— and has been years in the making for Fletcher's program.
"You've got a top-15 team, a top-20 team in the country: These are the teams we want to play against," Fletcher said. "It's really cool to bring them here so close to Oxford; hopefully we can get a lot of spectators out there."
"It's an hour from campus, and it's cool that we're able to host a lot of big-time schools in an elite venue like that," Pero said. "We've all played the course, we know the game plan going in…I think we're really close to having a big week, and I just think it could be at Moraine."
While the fall portion of the team's schedule wraps up in Kettering before a few months off, 2026 tees off with a mid-February trip to Hawaii and goes all the way through the MAC Championship at Holliday Farms (Zionsville, Ind.) in early May. Miami hasn't won a conference title since 2015, and the RedHawks' sights are set on bringing a trophy back to Oxford to cap the seniors' successful careers.
"Going out on top would mean the world," Podobinski said. "We've just got to keep working hard, but that would mean so much for Coach with that first recruiting class.
"That's everything we're dreaming of right now, so we've just got to keep that in the back of our minds every day."
"One of the first things that me and Cam and Brett talked about when we got here was how much we wanted to get a ring," Weber said. "We came pretty close [with a runner-up finish in 2024]: That was a great learning experience…but it would mean everything to us.
"I think we all know we have the team that can go and do it, so we're looking forward to that."
Regardless of what happens over the next seven months as the seniors' careers wrap up, though, their impact will be felt going forward as Miami Golf continues its upward trajectory.
"They came in as freshmen not highly recruited, worked their tails off and love Miami," Fletcher said. "They all have achieved really solid rankings and easily could have left in the transfer portal, but they chose to stay and they have a lot of Love and Honor. It'd be an unbelievable story [if they can end with a championship]…but they're leaving a standard of play and a standard for the culture. We're a top-100 program and we're trying to stay like that now."
Bottom line?
"They've left the program way better than they found it."
Find more Front Row Features at: MiamiRedHawks.com/FrontRowFeatures
Miami Golf hosts the Moraine Intercollegiate at Moraine Country Club in Kettering, Ohio on Monday, Oct. 13 and Tuesday, Oct. 14. Fans are welcome to attend; click here for tee times, live results and more information.
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