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British Brooks recorded 2,597 rushing yards and 31 touchdowns across his last two seasons with Ashbrook High School in North Carolina. He earned Big South Conference Offensive Player of the Year honors but UNC Charlotte was the only Division I school to offer him.

The lack of interest was because of a minor hamstring injury he endured at the beginning of his senior season. His time away from the field resulted in a handful of schools dropping interest. 

Brooks and his father, Darius James, held an extensive conversation to evaluate Brooks’ options. Eventually, Brooks was determined to attend North Carolina, where he wanted to walk on. After a few discussions with the program, UNC granted Brooks’ wish. In 2018, he enrolled at North Carolina with academic merit. Brooks, now in his sixth season, has emerged as a star for the Tar Heels in the backfield. After walking on in 2018, Brooks served as a special teams captain for two years before earning the starting running back role. This year, he’s recorded 140 rushing yards across three games and helped lead No. 14 UNC to a perfect 4-0 prior to facing Syracuse on Saturday.

Brooks started playing football at 5-years-old. James signed him up for his first team when he was 7. But Brooks wasn’t too happy about all the running in the first practice. 

“We were on the car ride home and he was crying, telling me he wanted to quit,” James said. But the two gave football another try. The second day of training involved pads and Brooks enjoyed a “phenomenal day” on the field. He’s played football ever since. 

At Ashbrook, Brooks saw more playing time in his junior season after the departure of the team’s starting running back, rushing for 1,253 yards and 16 touchdowns. 

Entering his senior year, Ashbrook introduced Brian Andrews as the new head coach. Andrews, who coached in the area and against Ashbrook the season prior, was familiar with Brooks’ talent. He was ecstatic to begin working “a workhorse and mental warrior,” and knew Brooks would put all of his energy into every play. 

During Brooks’ freshman season, the Tar Heels had 10 running backs on their roster. James told his son to do everything he could to impress the coaches. Across his first three years, Brooks picked up 34 carries.

Brooks’ big break came in the 2021 Duke’s Mayo Bowl game against South Carolina. Despite the loss, Brooks ended his senior year with 295 rushing yards and four touchdowns. That offseason, head coach Mack Brown awarded Brooks a permanent athletic scholarship. 

Though Brooks did not play in 2022 due to a torn ligament in his knee, he said he always knew he’d return for his final year of eligibility. Brooks said being hurt opened his eyes to how much he missed the game he grew up playing. 

In a preseason training camp video, Brooks said anytime they saw him working out, his teammates would always come to cheer him on. “I thought that was one of the biggest things somebody could do for me,” Brooks said in the video. 

On Sept. 2, Brooks made his first appearance since before his knee injury. He tallied a game-high 103 rushing yards on 15 carries in UNC’s 31-17 season-opening win over South Carolina.

After the game, Brooks dropped down to one knee, his eyes flooded with tears. Moments later, Brown embraced him.

“It felt surreal,” Brooks said postgame. “It felt like so long to get back to this point because of everything I’ve been through.”  

Now fully recovered, Brooks is playing with North Carolina for one final season. His statement performance against the Gamecocks not only established his return but also his never-ending passion for football. 

“Honestly, I woke up and I said I was going to come back,” Brooks said in the preseason training camp video. “I literally woke up one day and I told them I wanted to come back.”

Published on October 7, 2023 at 12:47 am

Contact Emma: ecstark@syr.edu