Penn State Sports Magazine
Issue link: https://comanpub.uberflip.com/i/787374
T H E C L A S S O F 2 0 1 7 >> WHAT HE DID Brooks shined for Benedictine, helping the Cadets go to three consecutive VISAA Division I title games, two of which they won (2014 and '15). He was a team captain his last two seasons, =nishing his senior year with 91 tackles, including 14 tackles for loss and =ve sacks. WHAT HE WON Brooks is the sixth-ranked inside linebacker in the country according to Rivals.com, as well as the No. 201 player nationally and the eighth-ranked player in Virginia. He was also an All-Metro choice and a starter in the Under Armour All-America Game. WHERE HE VISITED Brooks had long been a Penn State fan, owing to his father's friendship with former Nittany Lion great Michael Robinson. The Lions had been in contact throughout the 2016 season but didn't extend an o?er until January, when linebacker prospect Dylan Rivers backed out of his commitment. Before PSU intensi=ed its pursuit, Brooks was brie>y committed to Duke then took o@cial vis- its to Maryland, Northwestern, Oregon and LSU. AAer re- ceiving Penn State's o?er, Brooks scheduled an o@cial visit to University Park the weekend before signing day. On Jan. 30, he gave the Lions a verbal commitment. QUOTABLE Brooks: "Even though Penn State came in late, they are a great opportunity for me. I have a good relation- ship with the coaching sta? and I really enjoyed my time up in Happy Valley. I haven't really gotten a chance to bond with the recruiting class yet like I would have liked to, but I de=- nitely think I'll start building more and more relationships with them now. They have a senior linebacker in Jason Cabinda right now, but I'm still going in there with the mindset of a freshman to compete and work hard." STAFF SAYS Terry Smith: "He's a bigger guy. He's not as tall, but he's thick. He's more like a Sam or more like a Mike linebacker. He's an in-the-box type of guy." PHIL'S TAKE Brooks might be Penn State's most important signing this year. With both Cabinda and Brandon Smith graduating aAer the 2017 season, the Nittany Lions needed to sign a prototypical inside linebacker. Brooks =ts the bill. He has the toughness of a 235-pound ILB and the athletic skills of a 220-pound OLB. Reminiscent of former Penn State standout Brandon Short, Brooks appears fully capable of playing as a true freshman. ■ ELLIS BROOKS RIVALS ★★★★ POS LB HT 6-1 WT 230 HOME Mechanicsville, Va. SCHOOL Benedictine Rivals.com WHAT HE DID During a 5-5 season at Creekside, Brown was credited with 28 tackles and three interceptions to go along with seven passes broken up and a forced fumble. He =n- ished his career with 136 tackles and 17 interceptions. WHAT HE WON Rated by Rivals.com as a three-star prospect, Brown was named All-Region and was the Creek- side Defensive Player of the Year for his senior season. Addi- tionally, Rivals rated him the 56th-best cornerback in the country and the No. 58 prospect in Georgia. WHERE HE VISITED Earning an o?er from Penn State last spring, Brown made a priority of visiting State College shortly thereaAer. Having already established a strong relationship with Nittany Lion cornerbacks coach Terry Smith, Brown was enthralled with the environment he saw during the Penn State visit on Blue-White Weekend. As a result, in spite of o?ers from the likes of California, Kentucky, Louisville, Mississippi State, Northwestern, UCF, UCLA and Wisconsin, and uno@- cial visits to Georgia, Georgia Tech, Auburn, Tennessee and Notre Dame, Brown pulled the trigger with a commitment to the Nittany Lions just a week later. In October, he returned to Penn State for an uno@cial visit and saw the Nittany Lions upset then-No. 2 Ohio State. Saving his o@cial visit, Brown returned the weekend of Jan. 20 to be with the other verbally committed prospects in Penn State's Class of 2017. QUOTABLE Will Rogers, Creekside head coach: "D.J. Brown is a hardworking kid who does the little things right every day. He's just a big-play guy. He can make things happen. He makes good plays and has great ball skills. He pumps in the weight room really hard and does a good job leading the kids in the o?-season." STAFF SAYS Terry Smith: "He's another fast and athletic guy who brings us some length. We were really trying to up- grade his position with athleticism and length, and I think he =ts both of those categories." PHIL'S TAKE Brown is a versatile defensive back who could see action at cornerback, nickel back and maybe even free safety. He's also a top student-athlete who had an o?er from Harvard. He can play press man-to-man coverage, has excel- lent hand-eye coordination and breaks well on the ball. He will most likely redshirt as a freshman, aAer which I expect him to begin his Penn State career at the =eld cornerback spot. ■ D.J. BROWN RIVALS ★★★ POS CB HT 5-10 WT 175 HOME College Park, Ga. SCHOOL Creekside Rivals.com