After two years as an understudy, Jonathon Brooks shines in a starring role at Texas

Earlier this month, Hallettsville High School retired the No. 25 jersey that Jonathon Brooks once wore.

And even though he rushed for 3,530 yards and 62 touchdowns while leading Hallettsville to the Class 3A state championship game as a senior, Brooks said the jersey retirement wasn't just about him. Since his brother wore No. 25 before him, Brooks felt he was sharing the honor. Jordon Brooks was once a Brahmas' all-state receiver, defensive back and kick returner.

"For me to be able to do it for him and just my family knowing that my name and number will leave a legacy at the high school (is a huge honor)," said Brooks, who volunteered his brother's name when asked for the second-best player in Hallettsville history.

Brooks said 25 wasn't available when he arrived at Texas in 2021, so he instead got No. 24. And after two years as a Longhorns understudy, he has started to make that number uniquely his.

Brooks has turned 128 carries into 825 yards this season. Entering this week, that was seventh-best nationally. But among Power Five and Big 12 rushers, only Texas Tech's Tahj Brooks (887) and TCU's Emani Bailey (851) have rushed for more yards, and both have played in one more game.

Brooks has rushed for six touchdowns this season. Two of those covered 40 and 54 yards, and the first points of UT's season were tallied on a 37-yard touchdown catch by the running back. Brooks also has recorded 61- and 67-yard runs that were stopped short of the end zone.

"As much as he's running really good, hard yards between the tackles, he's a home run hitter for us now, too," Texas coach Steve Sarkisian said. "I don't know if everybody appreciated that about him coming into the season."

Hallettsville's home run hitter

To hear Sarkisian describe Brooks as a home run hitter probably does not surprise many of the state's high school coaches. Brooks was named Mr. Texas Football by Dave Campbell’s Texas Football Magazine his senior year at Hallettsville. He topped 300 yards during both the state semifinals and the Class 3A Division I championship game, and he had a 501-yard, nine-touchdown performance in the third round of the playoffs.

But after the fantastic finish to Brooks’ high school career was a slow start in college. When he got to Texas, he found himself buried on the depth chart. With Bijan Robinson and Roschon Johnson leading the rushing attack in 2021 and 2022, Brooks recorded just 51 carries those two seasons. During his final two games, he logged 59 rushing attempts.

"At first it was a little hard" to sit, he said. "But I came to realize I'm behind two great running backs, and I think it helped me mentally and physically just to watch them set an example for me."

Making the most of his chances

Throughout the offseason, Sarkisian often pointed out that he has usually had a 1,000-yard rusher while he was an offensive coordinator and head coach. And since CJ Baxter started against Rice on Sept. 2, it seemed as if the freshman would get the first shot at extending a streak for Sarkisian that began with Washington's Chris Polk (2009-11) and includes Washington's Bishop Sankey (2012-13), USC's Javorius Allen (2014), Alabama's Najee Harris (2019-20) and Robinson (2021-22).

Baxter, however, was slowed by a series of early season injuries. That allowed Brooks to seize the spotlight.

From the Wyoming win through the Oklahoma loss, Brooks recorded four straight 100-yard rushing performances. He came up a yard short of another 100-yard game at Houston last weekend, but he also became just the second UT running back in the past decade to catch eight passes in a single contest.

On Thursday, Sarkisian said Brooks had developed into a complete back.

"He's a dog. That's all I got to say: He's a dog," said senior defensive lineman T'Vondre Sweat, who as Brooks' good friend and roommate has created a pairing that linebacker David Gbenda likened to Will Smith's and Martin Lawrence's characters in the "Bad Boys" movies.

When asked this week if he had something to prove, Brooks turned the attention to his team. He said the Longhorns need to prove that they can win in versatile ways and that a 34-30 loss to Oklahoma wouldn't define UT's season.

"I don't think that he's out there trying to prove people wrong or prove anyone right," senior offensive lineman Christian Jones said. "I think he's just going out there and playing for the man above and playing for his God-gifted abilities and for his family.

"Not worrying about trying to prove anyone wrong is definitely the way that you can tap into that full potential. And I think he's just playing free. I think he's not thinking about it. I think it's just going."

Texas will next get a chance to do those things that Brooks alluded to in a home game against BYU on Saturday afternoon.

If Brooks scores on Saturday against the No. 78 rushing defense in the country, he will tap his right forearm. That's the way he honors his father, whose date of death is tattooed in Roman numerals on his arm. James Brooks died of kidney failure March 28, 2022.

After Brooks rushed for a career-high 218 yards and two touchdowns against Wyoming on Sept. 30, he told reporters that "I was thinking about him before the game. I really just miss, whenever I have success, the smile on his face. I just think about that every time I score. I feel like every time I do it, he's up there telling everybody and stuff, so I know he's good."

Saturday's game

BYU (5-2, 2-2) at No. 7 Texas (6-1, 3-1), 2:30 p.m., ABC, 1300, 98.1, 105.3 (Spanish)

This article originally appeared on Austin American-Statesman: Texas leaning on running back Jonathon Brooks during football season