The Texas Longhorns made an early move with running back Jonathon Brooks back in November of last year, becoming the first school to extend a scholarship offer. Since that time, other schools have followed suit, but Brooks has spent the better part of six months developing a strong relationship with the UT staff, particularly running backs coach Stan Drayton.
On Friday afternoon, that relationship paid off, with Brooks announcing on Twitter moments ago that he has given Texas a verbal commitment. The Hallettsville standout said it was his bond with Drayton and the rest of the staff that tipped the scales in UT’s favor.
“It’s just the coaches. I felt strongly that they had a lot of confidence in me. And it’s close to home,” Brooks told Orangebloods.com. “I just feel like it’s a good choice to go there.”
Early in his recruitment, Brooks planned to take things slowly and not make an early decision. More recently, he’d talked about moving his timeline up and with in-person recruiting shut down for the foreseeable future, he said he wanted to go ahead and make the move to officially join the UT family.
“I’d rather get it done now and build close relationships with the coaches and players early so when I go there, I’m not a stranger,” Brooks said. “And plus, in my opinion, I feel like whoever hasn’t offered me yet, it’s not necessarily that they don’t believe in me, but they haven’t shown as much faith in me.”
After Texas offered, schools like Texas Tech, UTSA, Louisiana and others jumped in with offers of their own. Programs like LSU and Washington State had been in touch this spring, but Brooks’ heart kept leading him back to Texas.
“(Drayton’s interest) showed me he had faith in me early. He saw something in me,” Brooks said. “They’re just a great team. And also, I looked the people in my class, who I would be playing with and things like that, and they have great commitments there right now like Jalen Milroe, a good tight end, and some linemen that are coming that would be good to play with.”
A 6-0, 187-pounder, Brooks compares himself to current Texas running back Keaontay Ingram in their build and physical running style. Rivals.com recruiting analyst Sam Spiegelman said there’s a lot to like in Brooks’ game.
“Brooks is a versatile piece to add to the Texas backfield, a back that can run between the tackles, run outside and catch passes out of the backfield,” Spiegelman said. “He boasts a downhill running style, but is best when he’s making sharp, decisive cuts and can change directions on a dime. Brooks’ ability to cut paired with his lateral quickness makes for a dangerous mix and an ideal fit in a spread offense.
“Last season, Brooks mangled 1,310 yards and 24 rushing touchdowns along with 233 yards and another touchdown for Hallettsville. That equated to 9.49 yards per carry and 17.92 yards per reception. The only verified speed for Brooks is a 22.86-second 200-meter, but based on film, he’s a big-play threat waiting to happen in Austin.”
With his commitment now behind him, Brooks said there’s a weight lifted off his shoulders and he can now turn his attention to other areas, which will be a somewhat welcome relief from a constant barrage of recruiting attention.
“It feels great. With all this recruiting, it was just hard to answer everybody when they text, because it gets overwhelming when they text me, remembering who was who,” Brooks said. “It’s not being rude, it just gets overwhelming.”
Brooks is Texas’ first running back commitment in the 2021 class and is UT’s 10th commitment overall.
