Let’s talk about Will Brooks

#1
mitzustu

mitzustu

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#1
I’m going to be honest. I wasn’t super familiar with the kid prior to the end of the year last year.

But he’s seen the field in 36 games as a Vol. Seems to be getting SIGNIFICANT run in fall camp.

Came to Tennessee as a (0 star) recruit in 2020.

No homerism here. What’s the story on the kid? Is he going to start?
 
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#2
#2
he's going to play a lot. he's a good football player. no one knows if he will start but pretty obviously he's going to be seriously in the discussion/getting big game minutes. if you watch the tape from the last two years he is consistently making plays. people give him crap on these forums because they have the disease where they can only see people based on stars they did or didn't get in high school.

not sure it deserves a thread considering the discussion in practice threads about this guy the past few weeks has been close to nonstop
 
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#3
#3
Filled in last year due to injuries and likely he would do the same this year. Had a nice game against Vandy but was over match by Georgia

Today's practice comments:

Based on what we saw, the first group of defensive backs through the drill had Jermod McCoy and Rickey Gibson III at cornerback, Boo Carter at Star and Will Brooks and Andre Turrentine as the safeties. The second group had McMurray and Jordan Matthews as the cornerback, Christian Harrison at Star, Jakobe Thomas at one safety and Christian Charles and John Slaughter bracketed at the other safety spot (Slaughter was shadowing Charles). That could be the pecking order on the back line right now.
 
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#5
#5
He was running with the 1s at safety today. It sounds to me that the staff likes what he does enough to give him first team snaps.Unless someone steps up, I would expect him to start the first few games and play a lot regardless of starting or not.

VQ said something on the podcast that I really hope changes this season. They really need to play more younger talent early in the season and let them get real game reps so that experience with depth gets built faster over the length of the season. This has been Banks shortfall imo, although I understand that the situation hasn't always dictated the ability to accept a dropoff in skill to build depth since they have been here. This is truly the first season that the opportunity ha presented itself during this staff's tenure.

Let's hope the O gives them a big enough lead to give this young group of guys some real time experience.
 
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#6
#6
mitzustu said:
I’m going to be honest. I wasn’t super familiar with the kid prior to the end of the year last year.

But he’s seen the field in 36 games as a Vol. Seems to be getting SIGNIFICANT run in fall camp.

Came to Tennessee as a (0 star) recruit in 2020.

No homerism here. What’s the story on the kid? Is he going to start?
Click to expand...
Unfortunately, we haven't recruited this position well enough to compete with the big dogs, therefore a walk on is competing to start.
 
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#9
#9
So we are talking about him starting at Safety above the MTSU transfer? Or starting at Star?
 
#11
#11
VOLfrombama said:
He was running with the 1s at safety today. It sounds to me that the staff likes what he does enough to give him first team snaps.Unless someone steps up, I would expect him to start the first few games and play a lot regardless of starting or not.

VQ said something on the podcast that I really hope changes this season. They really need to play more younger talent early in the season and let them get real game reps so that experience with depth gets built faster over the length of the season. This has been Banks shortfall imo, although I understand that the situation hasn't always dictated the ability to accept a dropoff in skill to build depth since they have been here. This is truly the first season that the opportunity ha presented itself during this staff's tenure.

Let's hope the O gives them a big enough lead to give this young group of guys some real time experience.
Click to expand...
This is why Joe and the defense killed us last year. Would keep the lead but hardly ever dominated bad teams to get our 2nd string quality minutes. But new year. Hopefully we dominate who we are supposed to and get the full team involved like we did with Hendon.
 
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#12
#12
I don’t care if we start Daffy Duck at safety as long as I don’t see another game like Austin Peay last year. The moment we see another FCS team pass for 250 against us we’ll know we have an issue so I say let’s let the results speak for themselves.
 
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#13
#13
Deathandtaxes said:
This is why Joe and the defense killed us last year. Would keep the lead but hardly ever dominated bad teams to get our 2nd string quality minutes. But new year. Hopefully we dominate who we are supposed to and get the full team involved like we did with Hendon.
Click to expand...
If Huep can get the running game going like he normally does, Nico will light it up. That should give them a chance to play everyone in 6-7 games at least. That’s what I think it boils down to.
 
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#19
#19
I wish I could get Odds on him being named Tennessee head coach at some point in his lifetime. Feels like a great value play.
 
#20
#20
Oldvoldad said:
Unfortunately, we haven't recruited this position well enough to compete with the big dogs, therefore a walk on is competing to start.
Click to expand...
J.J. McClesky was a walk-on who eared a job and ended up in the NFL. Dale Jones was a 2 star from Cleveland and ate Bo Jackson and Testeverde’s lunch and punched them in the nose. Some kids have greater effort than a 5 star prima donna.
 
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#21
#21
onevol74 said:
J.J. McClesky was a walk-on who eared a job and ended up in the NFL. Dale Jones was a 2 star from Cleveland and ate Bo Jackson and Testeverde’s lunch and punched them in the nose. Some kids have greater effort than a 5 star prima donna.
Click to expand...
JJ and Jones never sniffed a natty. That is the goal.
 
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#22
#22
onevol74 said:
J.J. McClesky was a walk-on who eared a job and ended up in the NFL. Dale Jones was a 2 star from Cleveland and ate Bo Jackson and Testeverde’s lunch and punched them in the nose. Some kids have greater effort than a 5 star prima donna.
Click to expand...
were recruiting services using a star rating back in Dale's day?
 
#23
#23
Someone educate me; what traits are desirable at the STAR position vs a free or strong safety? When I saw Brooks on the field last year, he looked bigger than some of our other dbs (that may not be the case but it seemed so to me). I have no doubts that he can lay the lumber, but I wonder about his speed, so it would seem to me, being ignorant of the finer points of each position, that being at STAR, which I understand to play closer to the line in a more run-stopping, hybrid-linebacker role, might seem a more obvious fit. Clearly that’s not the case if he’s repping more at safety, so what am I missing (not a rhetorical question)?

I also will own up to the fact that were he not a white boy and a walk on, I would not have the same questions about his speed and athleticism, so that’s on me.
 
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#24
#24
Vol in Buckeye Land said:
Someone educate me; what traits are desirable at the STAR position vs a free or strong safety? When I saw Brooks on the field last year, he looked bigger than some of our other dbs (that may not be the case but it seemed so to me). I have no doubts that he can lay the lumber, but I wonder about his speed, so it would seem to me, being ignorant of the finer points of each position, that being at STAR, which I understand to play closer to the line in a more run-stopping, hybrid-linebacker role, might seem a more obvious fit. Clearly that’s not the case if he’s repping more at safety, so what am I missing (not a rhetorical question)?

I also will own up to the fact that were he not a white boy and a walk on, I would not have the same questions about his speed and athleticism, so that’s on me.
Click to expand...
In regards to his speed and particularly his athleticsim. Go to each recent practice footage and watch the DB drills. Then compare him to the other DBs.

STAR is a disruptor position. Manned by a player with a variety of skill set.
Theo Jackson was 6'1 212 running that spot
Now they're trying to get 6'0 195 Boo Carter ready, but he's more athletic and faster. Yet still big enough to play in the box.

Justin Coleman was a NB, but the only difference is they cover more than a STAR. A STAR is for an attacking style defense.
 
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