SCOOP HD: Brooks Helps Calhoun Start March

PORT LAVACA, Texas - No player in Oklahoma's 2012 class has been more enigmatic than three-star athlete Daniel Brooks. From the very start Brooks was a surprise from Rockdale, Texas.

When word escaped that Brooks had picked up an offer from Oklahoma, most thought Oklahoma had already offered the star from Rockdale, before they realized that Derek David wasn't the only top prospect for the Tigers. Not long after his pledge to the Sooners Brooks made comments about some interest in a few other programs and promptly followed that with a move to the Texas coastline for one of Texas' top teams.

Since then Brooks has found a much quieter life except for on Friday nights where Port Lavaca Calhoun is undefeated and one of Texas' favorites to take home the 4A division two title.

On Friday night SoonerScoop.com decided to put Brooks back into the spotlight while watching Calhoun take on San Antonio Lanier 61-0 in the first round of the playoffs.

On the night Brooks had six carries for 85-yards, including a 34-yard touchdown as well as a pass break-up of a would-be touchdown but it's no surprise that the highly-regarded track star has game-changing ability to get up the field.

However, what was unknown was watching Brooks' selflessness in the run game. Running a variation of the Wing-T in which a halfback, usually Brooks, is lined up off the outside shoulder of the tackle. Often he was used on backside option plays when Brooks would go in motion to begin his momentum and play outside of his quarterback - waiting for the pitch. On the other hand when the play came to his side, Brooks served as an open-field blocker and repeatedly did a nice job creating extra yards for his quarterback and running backs.

Though it's not a surprise that Brooks is a guy with game-changing speed watching him move around in the open field it was pretty clear he was not simply a track star in football pads. Brooks showed off open field moves and lateral quickness that makes one think he could possibly be an heir apparent to current Sooner all-purpose back Roy Finch. He may not be quite on Finch's level as far as open field running but he brings that track speed to the table which could help him turn Finch's 15-yard runs into 40-yard touchdowns.

Time will tell but it's clear that Brooks has proven that the quiet that surrounded much of his recruitment had little to do with his ability on the field.

NOTES:

*What shouldn't have been a surprise is that with all the success Calhoun has enjoyed this year that they would have more than one legitimate division one prospect. Most notable among those is 2014 safety prospect Jakorious Williams who at 5-foot-10 and 200-pounds is incredibly physical and shows a real knack for finding the ball - even leading to many tackles on kickoffs, notable due to Williams serving as the team's kicker.

*One player that really did come out of nowhere was Lanier linebacker Xavier Perez-Coley. The physical backer has had some division one interest early on and it shows with his ability step into running lanes. He has the physical make-up to make someone happy down the line however as Lanier is far from a common stop for college football coaches, it's going to take some good fortune.