Texas Football: 5 players that shined in the first fall scrimmage

Jonathon Brooks, RB

After being held out of practice on Aug. 7, redshirt sophomore running back Jonathon Brooks has returned full force in individual and team drills for the Longhorns the last few days. Brooks was actually back at practice the next day after missing camp to start the week due to an “undisclosed illness”.

Brooks has proven in training camp so far that he deserves to be RB1 heading into the season. He’s taken the first-team reps at running back in the first two weeks of fall practice and in today’s scrimmage.

Brooks showed out as RB1 in this weekend’s scrimmage in a big way. He was reportedly the best-looking of all the running backs in the first fall scrimmage this weekend.

True freshman running back CJ Baxter Jr. did break off a couple of big runs, but Brooks was more consistent and effective in all his touches than any other back for the Longhorns today. Redshirt senior running back Keilan Robinson also reportedly broke off an explosive run for 50+ yards on fourth-and-short that went for a touchdown.

In the first scrimmage, the offensive line was reportedly better in run-blocking than in pass-pro. It sounds like the tackles did a good job sealing the edge for Brooks, Baxter, and Robinson to have open lanes in the zone running game.