Commit Breakdown: Kennedy Brooks
Oklahoma rose from No. 4 to No. 3 in the class of 2017 team recruiting ranks with the commitment of four-star Mansfield (Texas) running back, Kennedy Brooks.
Brooks, the 20th addition to a Sooner class that is now 75-percent four-stars, will likely have no equal in terms of productivity.
After rushing for 1,200 yards and 14 touchdowns in 2014 as a sophomore, the No. 15 running back in the country exploded for 3,500 yards and 43 touchdowns as a junior a year ago.
Through five games in 2016, the senior has totaled over 200 yards in four of them - his “worst” night so far produced a mere 185 rushing yards.
This preponderance of production is no fluke and the 6-foot-0, 197-pound tailback shows signs that he can translate his successes to the next level.
The first thing you notice about Brooks is his exceptional vision. He isn’t over-eager, he doesn’t rush; instead, the Mansfield star is patient and utilizes his quickness not just to make the immediate defender in front of him miss, but to set up his blockers and create a hole that allows him to make the entire front seven miss.
Even as a sophomore, you can see on this sweep how Brooks extends the run to the outside, but not at a full pace. He gets wide of the end, but then makes sure to wait until his blockers finish creating the alley. If Brooks cuts upfield too soon, his receiver doesn’t have time to take the crucial defender out of the play. If Brooks sprints too hard to the edge, he’s narrowed his field and likely creates an easy force out tackle. Yet, he chooses the optimum time to drive off his left foot and accelerate into a north/south dead sprint.
Brooks is able to trust what he sees and not hesitate due to his ability to accelerate and burst through a hole once it materializes. There’s no wasted motion once his mind is made up. Brooks consistently keeps his feet in motion, his upper body is calm, and it all adds up to one smooth and elusive runner.
While not the biggest back, the Mansfield Tiger star has a strong lower body and runs behind his pads, making him a more powerful back than some might expect, as he is hardly ever brought to the ground via arm tackle.
Brooks is almost an NFL style of running back, because of his patience, vision, ability to set up blocks, and then the natural physical tools to burst into the second level and punish a defense.