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CHAPEL HILL – The University of North Carolina is a pretty good deal for British Brooks.
It isn’t too far from his home in Gastonia, the football program he is a part of has had some success and the needle is pointed in the right direction, he plays an important role on that team, which could get bigger next fall, and the education is quite good, too.
So, when the opportunity to stay in Chapel Hill for another year and take advantage of the social life, the football scene, and the academics, Brooks simply couldn’t pass it up; it was a no brainer.
“Just to come back and help this team start winning games more, and to further my education,” Brooks said, when recently asked why he opted to take advantage of the NCAA rule giving back all scholarship athletes last year – 2020-21 – because of the COVID effect on college athletics. “That was the main goal.”
Brooks is a fantastic special teams player, as he graded out a team-best 84.2, according to PFF, getting 196 plays in on the kickoff return and coverage units, and the punt return and coverage units. Brooks is also Carolina’s special teams captain. Perhaps the opportunity would have been there all along because of his value in the third phase of the game.
What tipped the scales toward returning from a football perspective, however, was what Brooks did as UNC’s running back in its final two games: a win over Wofford and narrow, and last-minute loss to NC State.
After amassing 176 yards in his career, Brooks ran for 89 yards and two touchdowns versus Wofford and then gorged for 124 yards in Raleigh. Both performances were bests in his Carolina career, and played a role in his decision to go one more season with the Tar Heels. The other benefit of playing ball did, too, as Brooks frequently emphasized last week.
“I feel like it played a lot, it gave me a lot more confidence to come back and keep playing,” he said. “And to further my education here at North Carolina, it’s the best education in the nation.”
The 5-foot-10, 210-pounder ran hard, fast, and physically against the Wolfpack’s stingy defense, showing signs of something nobody outside the program had seen before. He played well, but the Tar Heels blew a late lead, and the disappointment within the team was gut wrenching.
Brooks couldn’t stand the feeling, and part of coming back is to help make amends from that night, too.
“After the (NC State) game, he was so disappointed, so many of the kids were sitting there with their heads down crying…,” UNC Coach Mack 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.’”
Human nature clearly suggests that even in defeat, if someone has a break out game, there’s an element to that they will cherish, even if just internally. Brooks had that kind of game. Maybe it was even a revelation performance for himself: An I-can-do-this kind of deal.
But it wasn’t his big night running the ball that Brooks enjoyed most once he gleaned over the game film. It was something else.
“I can honestly say I enjoyed the special teams more than I enjoyed the offense,” he said, letting go a slight smile. “My favorite play was probably the special teams tackle I had deep in the fourth quarter. I like to hit. I like to hit people.”
Brooks will get a chance to hit people near his hometown next week when the Tar Heels take on South Carolina in the Duke’s Mayo Bowl at Bank of America Stadium in Charlotte. He will deliver blows as a running back, a blocker on special teams, and as a havoc-wreaking coverage man on punts and kickoffs.
This is a young man who started in the Orange Bowl a year ago because of UNC’s depleted backfield, but being around so many friends and family will be different.
“It's going to feel like I'm at home,” Brooks said. “My people right down the street, a lot of people gonna pull up. It's gonna be nerve-racking to see a lot of people that I know at the game so just hope for the best.”
The best for this game and next season, which will include British Brooks on Carolina’s roster.
