Aggies land another top 100 recruit
It's a busy Saturday for Texas A&M on the recruiting trail, and an update on the Aggies' latest commit is brought to you by Branch & Dhillon, P.C.
The Aggies are definitely on a hot streak, as they've landed their second commit of the day and another defender at a need position. Shiner's Dalton Brooks, a 4-star athlete who projects as a safety, committed this evening at A&M's pool party and barbecue. Brooks has been a long-time Aggie lean, but decided it was time to make it official.
Brooks is a Rivals 100 recruit, and his offer list reads like you'd expect. Alabama, Georgia, LSU, Notre Dame, Ohio State, USC and Texas all offered, but he never seemed interested in any program but A&M. He visited College Station multiple times earlier in the year, but never went anywhere else. Alabama, Penn State and Texas made up the rest of his final four, but none were considered serious threats to the Aggies.
Brooks is A&M's eighth commit for the 2023 class and the seventh from Texas. He's the sixth 4- or 5-star recruit to join the class.
Analysis of A&M's newest commit
Brooks could easily be a Power 5 running back, but it's pretty easy to see why the Aggies like him on the defensive side of the ball. With his size and speed, he can cover a lot of ground and make people pay for encroaching on his turf.
First, let's look at the obvious: Brooks is fast. He runs away from opponents on offense, runs them down on defense and ran an 11.49-second 100 meters last year. That makes him an asset wherever he plays.
But, in my opinion, he really shines on defense. His anticipation is excellent and he has the closing speed to wherever he needs to be. And he doesn't mind putting his shoulder into an opponent to put them down and make them stay down.
Brooks has extremely good anticipation and has the natural ability to avoid blockers and get to the running back when he's at safety. He seems extremely comfortable coming downhill, but also has the ability to cover deep. I think that his time playing wide receiver will also help him, because he knows how to find the football, how get to the ball before a wideout and make a play on it.
Brooks has an extremely high ceiling and it's easy to see why the Aggies wanted him as badly as they did. If he is able to keep his speed while playing at between 200 and 205 pounds, he could be an NFL prospect.