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U P C L O S E & P E R S O N A L Brooks' patience is rewarded with PSU offer D ivision I recruiting is 6lled with ups and downs for every prospect, but for those who are still undecided in the weeks leading up to signing day, it can some- times reach a di7erent level altogether. Take linebacker Ellis Brooks, for in- stance. A four-star prospect from the Benedictine School in Mechanicsville, Va., Brooks earned more than 20 scholar- ship o7ers during his sophomore and junior seasons. He also took about a dozen visits over that span, giving him a head start on most of his peers. One of those visits was to Penn State in the summer of 2015. Almost immedi- ately, Brooks knew that he would 6t in well with the Nittany Lions, but there was a problem: He didn't have a scholar- ship o7er. "It was always a dream school for me," Brooks said. "The fans, the program, the academics – it was always an ideal 6t for me, and I knew that very early on in the process when I took my [6rst] visit. "But most players have dream schools. Once you start the recruiting process, that kind of goes out the window because you're not guaranteed to get an o7er from the school you love. That's kind of how things played out for me, at 6rst." At 6-foot-1, 230 pounds, Brooks was always among Penn State's top options at middle linebacker. However, the Lions' depth chart didn't work in his favor, as outside linebacker was clearly a bigger need in the 2017 class. By the end of the 2015 season, the staff had also earned a commitment from another player at his position, fellow Virginia na- tive Dylan Rivers. Brooks soon realized that he was going to have to find a differ- ent school. That spring, he thought he found the ideal 6t in Duke. Head coach David Cut- cli7e had built up plenty of momentum, and the school o7ered an elite education that only a handful of others could match, so Brooks committed to the Blue Devils in March 2016. "Education was always so important to me," he said. "Schools like Duke and Northwestern, which was another school I visited, were always going to be high on my list." But the other thing that Brooks coveted was the opportunity to play for one of the nation's best programs. As time went on, he felt as if he could 6nd a better combi- nation of the two, so Brooks decided to open up his recruitment again in the be- ginning of the summer. Maryland, Michigan and Northwestern all appeared to be serious contenders in the months that followed, but it wasn't until the end of his senior season that things really heated up. On the same day of his 6rst o8cial visit, which was to Maryland on the weekend of Dec. 9-11, Brooks received an intriguing o7er from Oregon. The Ducks had just wrapped up a disappointing 4-8 season, but Brooks knew all about their recent history. Just a few weeks later, he added another major o7er, this one from Southeastern Conference power LSU. Those overtures put him in a di8cult po- sition. "Both Oregon and LSU had a lot to o7er, and I enjoyed my visits to both," he said. "I liked a lot at Oregon, but it was pretty far from home. Plus, I was still looking for something better academically. I was probably headed to Maryland if I didn't get the Penn State o7er." Before he had even arrived home from his trip to Eugene in January, Brooks' re- cruitment took another turn. That same weekend, Penn State hosted almost all of its verbally committed players, and one of them – Rivers – was having second thoughts. Rivers ultimately switched his commitment to Virginia Tech, opening the door for Brooks. Within 24 hours of learning that he had a scholarship offer from the Lions, he knew that he would be visiting on the final weekend in Janu- ary. "I already knew what they had to offer on the field and I always knew that they had a great academic program," Brooks | THE BROOKS FILE STATS Finished with 54 tackles, including 14 tackles for loss and five sacks, as a senior... Also played of- fense and totaled 345 rushing yards and seven touch- downs on 51 carries... Was a four-year letterman and two-time team captain... Had a team-best six tackles, including four solo stops, in the Under Armour All- America Game HONORS Named a four-star recruit by Rivals.com, as well as the No. 6 inside linebacker nationally and No. 8 prospect in Virginia... Was a three-time first-team All-State selection... Chosen to play in the I- 64 Bowl and Big River Rivalry CLICK HERE to see video of Brooks in action. Rivals.com

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