Productive transfer receiver commits to Gamecocks. And he hopes to play this fall
South Carolina added depth to its receiving corps with the commitment of transfer Jalen Brooks on Saturday.
Brooks, from Harrisburg, North Carolina, committed to the Gamecocks after picking up an offer Friday from USC. He also had offers from Duke and North Carolina A&T.
Brooks said his first contact with Muschamp was Friday night when he gave him the offer. And Muschamp was more than happy to welcome him to the Gamecock family.
“He’s excited,” Brooks said. “He’s like, I’m one heck of a ballplayer. He loves my games he loves that I’m a playmaker. He’s excited.”
The 6-foot-3 Brooks played his first two seasons at Division II Wingate before signing this spring with Tarleton State, a school in Texas that is moving up to Division I. But he left Tarleton State to move closer to home because of a family situation.
Brooks will have two years of eligibility left and can play this season if he is granted a waiver by the NCAA. He has filed a waiver seeking eligibility for this coming season, he said.
At Wingate, Brooks caught 50 passes for 998 yards and nine touchdowns. He was a first-team all-South Atlantic Conference this past season.
Brooks played for current Blythewood High School coach Jason Seidel at Hickory Ridge in North Carolina. He credits Seidel for helping him get in contact with USC and other coaches during the recruiting process.
“Coach Seidel has always been in my corner,” Brooks said. “He has always pushed me out to a whole bunch of coaches. He has always bragged about me and the player that I am, and the work ethic that I have. He reached out to South Carolina, and I’m happy they took the chance to watch my film and evaluate it. They just loved it. They got back to Seidel and Seidel hit me up about it.”
Seidel said he contacted USC receivers coach Joe Cox earlier this month when he knew Brooks put his name in the transfer portal. Seidel spoke with Gamecock coaches this week about Brooks.
Brooks said he hit it off with Cox.
“He loves the fact that I was able to play slot and outside receiver,” Brooks said. “I’m very good at learning offenses. Even when I went to Tarleton State, I learned that whole offense in a week. I’m able to motion, able to play slot and play outside receiver, and he loves that, and he’s seen that on my film. He’s like, you’re going to fit into this offense perfectly and we are going to get you the ball.”
Seidel raves about Brooks’ work ethic, which included training with former Duke and current New York Giants quarterback Daniel Jones over the past few months. Duke receiver Jarett Garner was teammates with Brooks in high school, and the two worked out together with Jones during the COVID-19 shutdown.
“Coaches usually have questions when they guys that are in the transfer portal,” Seidel said. “So I explained to them his situation and everything. If you watch his tape, the tape doesn’t lie. You can see what kind of player he could be. Joe Cox likes him a lot and they think he can make impact this year if he gets the waiver from the NCAA.
“He is a very long receiver and strong in the weight room. He has amazing hands and is just a relentless worker.”
Brooks had several Division II offers and a preferred walk-on offer from East Carolina coming out of high school. He had 44 catches for 771 yards and nine touchdowns during his senior year at Hickory Ridge.
“I thought he was always a little overlooked in high school but I knew he had the potential to play on the Division I level and Jalen always believed he could, too,” Seidel said. “I think he is going to be a good fit for USC.”
Brooks said he hopes his story is motivational to others.
“It means the world to me, but it’s also going to inspire other people that anything is possible,” Brooks said. “I did not plan on staying at Wingate University all four years. I told Coach Seidel that back in high school when I first committed because we both knew I was under-recruited. I was going to aim big.
“I talked to South Carolina when I first got my release (from Wingate), but I had to wait, and I didn’t have that amount of time, so I committed to Tarleton State because I was going to be on a full ride right away. But right now, being on this level, it just opened up my eyes and showed me all the hard work I put in is finally paying off. I just hope I’m just being an inspiration to somebody, I’m motivating somebody.”
Phil Kornblut contributed to this report.
This story was originally published August 1, 2020 at 1:57 PM.
