‘One of the faster guys we have’: What Muschamp said about getting Brooks eligible
South Carolina’s Jalen Brooks had to wait a long time for this, and his coach, Will Muschamp, is pleased that it’s over.
The transfer from Wingate and Tarlton State received an NCAA waiver Monday to not have to sit out 2020. He’ll be able to play this weekend against LSU.
“He’s a guy that can stretch the field,” Muschamp said. “In our camp, he is one of the faster guys we have on our team. He can really run on the top end and finish downfield. He’s got good ball skills again.
“He’s very bright so he can learn multiple spots. He can play inside, he can play outside, so he gives us a lot of variety as far as different stuff he’s going to bring to the table.”
Muschamp noted that because of trying to build depth during the pandemic, the team hasn’t run much scout team work and mostly done offense-vs.-defense periods. That means Brooks has been in the flow of the offense for most of the season.
Asked if Brooks will start, Muschamp said he wasn’t sure as he mostly worked with the defense Wednesday morning and hadn’t spoken with the offensive staff yet.
He also said Brooks managed to work his way into the fabric of the team off the field despite joining the roster later in summer. That wasn’t always easy with players being encouraged to congregate minimally.
“This young man, he’s worked extremely hard,” Muschamp said, thanking athletic director Ray Tanner and the school’s compliance staff. “He’s never complained.”
Brooks joins a position that’s been thin, with not much consistency behind top target Shi Smith. The 6-foot-3, 190-pounder beings speed and deep threat ability, which the team has been lacking outside of Smith.
As a junior, Brooks had 35 catches for 751 yards, at an average of 21.5 yards per catch, with six touchdowns. He had 17 catches for 297 yards, a 17.5-yard average and four touchdowns as a freshman.
He was under-recruited out of Hickory Ridge High School in North Carolina. He’s added a good bit of size since then.
He’s also had a few matchups with star Gamecocks’ corner Jaycee Horn on the practice field.
“They’ve had some good battles,” Muschamp said. “Off the top of my head, I think Jalen is a guy that as far as Jalen’s attributes are concerned, he can win in man coverage. He is a guy that can get on top of the coverage in man coverage and he can finish down the field. And if you just kind of ask me what are the important qualities of any good receiver in our league and moving on for when you get to the National Football League, you got to win first man coverage. You can’t win in man coverage, you will struggle to play. And I feel strong that Jalen can win in man.”
South Carolina (2-2) at LSU (1-2)
When: 7 p.m. Saturday
Where: Tiger Stadium in Baton Rouge, Louisiana
TV: ESPN
Line: LSU by 7
This story was originally published October 21, 2020 at 12:33 PM.
