Bruener attended high school at Redmond. Coming out of high school, Bruener was rated as a three star recruit, where he decided to commit to play college football for the Washington Huskies.[1][2]
College career
In Bruener's first career game in week three of the 2021 season, Bruener made eight tackles and forced a fumble in a win over Arkansas State.[3] In week nine, Bruener earned his first career start versus Stanford. where he finished with 16 tackles with one and a half being for a loss, a sack and a half, and a forced fumble en route to being named the PAC-12 freshman of the week and the PAC-12 defensive player of the week.[4] During, Bruener's first collegiate season in 2021 he totaled 70 tackles with two and a half being for a loss, a sack and a half, two forced fumbles, and an interception.[5] In the 2022 season, Bruener tallied 45 tackles with three and a half being for a loss, and a pass deflections.[6][7] In week twelve of the 2023 season, Bruener recorded 14 tackles, a forced fumble, and a pass deflection in a win over Oregon State.[8] During the 2023 season, Bruener notched 86 tackles with two and a half being for a loss, three pass deflections, an interception, and a forced fumble.[9][10] For his performance in the 2023 season, Bruener was named a honorable mention all PAC-12 selection.[11]
