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CHAPEL HILL – British Brooks will give college football and playing at North Carolina one more year of his life.
That was confirmed Wednesday morning when UNC Coach Mack Brown said early in his press conference that Brooks has decided to take advantage of the NCAA rule giving each athlete back the 2020 season – the COVID year.
Brooks has played four seasons at UNC, and he walked on Senior Day, an afternoon he got more playing time at running back than any game as a Tar Heel to that point aside from the Orange Bowl last year, when the position group was beset by its top two players opting out and next in line, D.J. Jones, unable to play due to an injury.
But Brooks, who is 5-foot-10 and 210 pounds, did well that day, running for 89 yards and two touchdowns on seven carries. Then he got even more time in a last-minute loss at NC State six days later when he ran for 124 yards on 15 attempts. At the end of his fourth and presumably final season as a Tar Heel, Brooks was finally coming into his own.
Only it wasn’t the end of his run, as it turns out.
“After the (NC State) game he was so disappointed, so many of the kids were sitting there with their heads down crying…,” Brown said. “British said after the game, ‘Boy, I hate this, I wish I could play some more.’ And then one of the coaches said, ‘Well, you know you can.’”
Brooks spoke with running backs coach Larry Porter the following week, and then Monday of this week Brown and Brooks met, and Brooks told the Hall of Famer, “Coach, I want to do this again.”
Needless to say, Brown was quite pleased.
“He looked like he gained so much confidence against Wofford, and then we saw the same thing against NC State,” Brown said. “He looked fast, he looked powerful, he can catch the ball, he’s a great blocker. So, I think he can be a force in that running back room moving forward.”
Brooks came to UNC as a walk-on, brought in by former coach Larry Fedora, who said in the summer of 2018 he was curious what Brooks could do and anticipated there was a chance he could develop into a player that would help the program.
Fast forward three-plus years, and Brooks has been a standout on special teams. In fact, he is Carolina’s captain in that room.
In his career, Brooks has been in on 656 plays on special teams, and this fall he was in for 196 plays on four groups: kickoff return; kickoff coverage; punt return; and punt coverage. He was also UNC’s special teams captain.
“He's been such a tremendous player on our special teams for the last couple of years,” Brown said.
There is a need in the running backs room, though, and that might be where the impact of Brooks’ decision is most felt. Ty Chandler, who used a fifth year to play this fall for the Heels after spending four seasons at Tennessee, will move on following the Duke’s Mayo Bowl, and the other returning Heels haven’t yet come close to establishing themselves.
Jones might be closest, but his career has been marked more by a series of injuries than any on-field success. Two highly touted freshmen are coming in, and it appeared likely Carolina was going to look for another running back in the transfer portal. But Brooks’ decision may nix that idea and allow for continuity in the room while giving it the leadership it needs.
“He’s one of the best leaders on our team,” Brown said. “He’s an amazing story of a walk-on who gets himself into school, he’s a tremendous student, and then he’s special teams player of the year all the time.
“We tried to take him out of the game on special teams the other night and he absolutely refused. He was playing so much in the game at running back, and he would not come off.”
Brooks, who graded out at 84.2 on special teams, according to PFF, hasn’t spent much time with the media during his time as a Tar Heel, but he did following the Wofford game.
“I’m blessed to have an opportunity to out and play with teammates like this,” he said, before a moment later expressing gratitude to Brown and the staff.
“Shout out to Mack Brown for believing in me throughout the whole process since he’s been here. I couldn’t be more grateful to be on this team.”
A native of Gastonia, NC, and graduate of Ashbrook High School, Brooks will spent one more year in Chapel Hill. Grad school, and a big-time role on a growing football program. And, his head coach is thrilled with Brooks’ decision, Brown said.
“That’s positive and exciting.”
