Hazelwood East graduate expected to see playing time in 2008
In the four years since, Brooks has caught just one pass for four yards while attending the University of Nebraska. But Brooks says he does not regret for one moment his decision to attend college in Lincoln.
"Nebraska has been a wonderful place to go to school," said Brooks, who is majoring in business administration. "I know I made the right decision in coming here."Now a redshirt junior, Brooks is still hoping that he can make up for some lost time on the football field. The 6-foot-2, 210-pound Brooks is listed as a reserve at the X receiver spot behind Nate Swift. But with the loss of five seniors from last year, Brooks should get a chance to show what he can do.
"I'm really just hoping that I can help this team win football games," he said. "That's the bottom line."
Brooks helped East win a host of games during his four years at the school. He figured that he was going to a similar situation when he went back on his commitment with the University of Missouri to sign with Nebraska. After all, the Cornhuskers had dominated the Big 12 since its inception, and had recently played for the national title.
His former high school coach, Corey Johnson, said that Brooks wanted to be a part of a winning tradition.
"I know he wanted to be at Nebraska," Johnson said. "If that meant not playing immediately, he understood that going in. But this was what he wanted, to play at a prestigious, tradition rich program.
"He wanted to be a part of that. He was always part of a winning program at Hazelwood East and in little league, and he wanted to continue that."
Unfortunately, at least on the football field, things have not worked out quite as Brooks had envisioned. After close to 30 years of football seasons with at least nine wins, Nebraska struggled under former coach Bill Callahan, who was let go after last season. The Huskers are now coached by former defensive coordinator Bo Pelini.
Brooks has also struggled to gain traction. He played in four games as a true freshman, but did not catch a pass. After redshirting a year, Brooks came back last year and did record his first reception against Nevada.
Johnson said that Brooks realized going in that he would not have the same type of playing time as he did at Hazelwood East.
"When you go into programs of that caliber, you go in with the understanding that your time has to come," Johnson said. "You have less control over when that time is, though, as opposed to another program."
Meanwhile, while Nebraska has slid, Brooks' home state school has been on the rise. He hears about that from time to time, but shrugs it off.
"I had to make the decision that was best for Chris Brooks," he said. "I felt like I needed to go away and not be in a place where I could be at home in 90 minutes."
Brooks has the opportunity to help turn Nebraska back around. He is looking forward to that challenge.
"We have the system in place and the players," he said. "We just have to go out and produce on the field."
