Texas Football: Longhorns trending for unheralded 3-Star RB

The necessity for the 2021 Texas football recruiting class to try and keep strong at the running back position could involve 3-Star Jonathon Brooks.

Getting things up and running at the running back position for the 2021 Texas football recruiting class is key to keeping the talent pipeline strong at the position. Head coach Tom Herman and offensive coordinator Mike Yurcich are yet to land a single running back in their 2021 recruiting class, but there could be one name looming large for them.

A target of the 2021 recruiting class that is trending to the Texas Longhorns football program of late is an under-the-radar three-star Hallettsville running back Jonathon Brooks. And the Longhorns should be as high on Brooks as they are at the moment.

The Longhorns might be finding a true diamond in the rough with Brooks. Most of the programs that are pursuing him right now are at the FBS level. He plays for a high school that competes in the 3A Division in Texas. And he was still the 14-3A District Overall MVP for the 2019 season. That should prove the value that he can still bring to the table despite the occasional lack of level of competition during the fall.

However, the size, speed, and versatility is definitely there for Brooks. He stands at 6-foot and 185 pounds and has great hands for a running back.

Of the four 247Sports Crystal Ball Predictions in for Brooks, all experts are picking him to commit to Texas. Even the Rivals FutureCast has a 100 percent leaning toward the Longhorns. All signs seem to be pointing to him landing with Texas at this point in time.

Brooks looks to be one of the big priorities for the Texas coaching staff for this recruiting cycle. Texas running backs coach Stan Drayton is hard on his trail, and the Longhorns were actually the first school to send him a scholarship offer. He received that offer from Texas back on Nov. 9. Brooks would then take an unofficial visit to Texas on Jan. 25.

https://twitter.com/2brookss/status/1193379949647990784

All of that came before he would receive an offer from another school. The Texas Tech Red Raiders threw their hat into the ring with a Jan. 27 offer. Since then, the likes of the Colorado State Rams, Texas State Bobcats, and UTSA Roadrunners have sent him offers.

But the only Power Five offers that remain for Brooks came from Texas and Texas Tech.

The arrow is pointing up in terms of the stock that Texas has in Brooks. With limited contact during the 2020 offseason and a likely lack of camps, combines, and showcases, Brooks might not be able to jump as far up the recruiting rankings as he would otherwise be able to most offseasons.

Brooks ranks as the nation’s No. 610 2021 high school prospect, No. 47 running back, and the No. 80 prospect out of Texas. His recruiting stock should rise given a solid senior season at Hallettsville.

Rivals recently put Brooks on the map with a No. 71 ranking out of prospects from Texas. His stock is already rising, and the faith the Longhorns had in him early on could be paying off in the long run.