The 2020 high school football season was a fruitful one for Longhorns signee Jonathon Brooks. First of all, he led Hallettsville to a state championship appearance. Secondly, Dave Campbell’s Texas Football named him the 2020 Mr. Texas High School Football Player of the Year. In addition, Brooks was listed as a first team MaxPreps High School Football All-American. So, it is safe to say that he had a productive season.
In January, 247Sports upgraded Brooks to a four-star grade, making him the 20th ranked running back in the entire 2021 class. Brooks committed to joining the Longhorns last May and signed his National Letter of Intent last December.
Senior Season Statistics (Via: MaxPreps)
2020: 295 carries, 3,530 rushing yards, 12 yards per carry, 284 receiving yards and 70 total touchdowns.
Strengths:
Brooks is a threat whenever he has the ball. He is a talented running back and, obviously, is a skilled punt returner as well. One of Jonathon’s biggest skills is that he shows patience and gives his teammates opportunities to develop blocks in front of him.
In addition to starting on offense, Brooks also made some big plays for the Brahmas on defense. While his gifts are at running back, I think that playing both ways in high school will serve to benefit him in the long-run with his athletic skill set.
His ability to make defenders miss is uncanny as he seemingly always has a juke up his sleeve. And when I say juke, I mean juke, watching Brooks on the field is oftentimes like watching a video game. In addition, his vision as a running back shows great promise and is what sets up his ankle-breaking jukes.
Needs Improvement:
Brooks has the potential to do damage in the passing game as a running back. However, thanks to being Hallettsville’s cash cow as a runner, he was seldomly needed out of the backfield as a receiver. As a result, Brooks could greatly benefit his chances of seeing playing time, especially early on in his collegiate career, by developing that aspect of his game. Additionally, evolving into a bona fide pass blocker would give him an advantage in today’s game.
Lastly, while with the Longhorns, Brooks will need to work on improving his top-end speed. However, Brooks will be in great hands with Texas’s new Director of Football Performance, Torre Becton.
What I See:
Honestly, Brooks was one of the most fun players to watch at the high school level. Now, the question is, can his play translate to the collegiate level? Hallettsville is in Texas’s Class 3A Division I, which means that it is far away from being in the state’s biggest football classification. So, Brooks will have his work cut out for him in trying to get accustomed to the speed of the college game. However, I think that Brooks has the grit to do it. At minimum, I can see him developing into a great situational player for the Longhorns, with greater long-term potential on the Forty Acres.
