NU snares Missouri receiver, Oregon d-lineman
He committed to Missouri last spring, fully intending to help Tigers football coach Gary Pinkel push his program upward.
In the ensuing months, however, Chris Brooks' relationship with Missouri soured. His official campus visit in December just didn't feel right, he said.
"When you boil it all down, I didn't really have a relationship with Coach Pinkel during the last two months," the wide receiver from St. Louis said Thursday.
Turns out, Missouri's loss became Nebraska's gain.
Brooks, saying he felt comfortable with Nebraska head coach Bill Callahan and defensive coordinator Kevin Cosgrove, reneged on his Missouri commitment and gave his verbal pledge to NU, the first of two significant commitments landed by the Huskers on Thursday.
Later in the day, Nebraska received a pledge from Ndamukong Suh, a 6-foot-4, 278-pound defensive tackle from Portland, Ore. Suh had pared his final list to NU and California.
Both Brooks and Suh are rated as four-star prospects in Rivals.com's five-star system.
They become the 25th and 26th players known to have committed to Nebraska's highly regarded 2005 scholarship recruiting class, which now includes nine four-star prospects and two-five star players.
In landing Brooks, Nebraska tapped Cosgrove's strong recruiting ties in the St. Louis area. As a 14-year assistant at Wisconsin, Cosgrove landed a slew of St. Louis players, perhaps most notably Terrell Fletcher, a standout running back; Jamar Fletcher, the 2000 Thorpe Award winner as the nation's outstanding defensive back; and defensive tackle Wendell Bryant, a two-time Big Ten Defensive Lineman of the Year.
Cosgrove and Callahan earned Brooks' trust.
"I felt comfortable talking to them about not only football, but also life after football," Brooks said. "Coach Cosgrove, he's just an easy-going guy. I felt I could communicate with him. He understands the background I came from, so I didn't have to hide anything."
Playing for Hazelwood East High School, the 6-3, 190-pound Brooks this season had more than 50 receptions for 1,100 yards and 15 touchdowns, said head coach Corey Johnson.
"Nebraska's getting a big receiver — a big, physical receiver," Johnson said. "Plus, he's exceptional at running intermediate and short routes and catching the ball across the middle."
Brooks made an official visit to Missouri on Dec. 10.
"It wasn't all I expected," he said. "I wasn't too comfortable in the city. The players I met were great — it was nothing they did. It just didn't feel right, and I felt like I was cheating myself."
A couple weeks later, Brooks visited the Nebraska campus with a Hazelwood teammate, defensive tackle Anthony Jackson. NU students were on break, and Brooks and Jackson were the only recruits on campus.
This visit felt good, Brooks said.
Brooks, who has a 10-month-old son, likes the thought of attending college close to home, close to family. He also relishes the chance of immediate playing time, though he's not taking it for granted.
"I think there's an opportunity for all of us to compete and grow as a unit," Brooks said. "Hopefully, we can join together and accomplish our goal of winning a national championship."
Rivals.com rates Brooks No. 15 among the nation's high school wideouts, while Suh is ranked No. 6 among defensive tackles.
"Nebraska's getting a physical specimen with an attitude — but it's the right kind of attitude," said Gary Thorson, head coach at Grant High in Portland. "Ndamukong plays with just the right amount of nastiness that you want."
Suh, who participated in last weekend's U.S. Army All-American Bowl, was named Oregon's defensive player of the year in a vote of coaches.
"At Nebraska, I really like the all-around family atmosphere," he said. "The players are really tight-knit, maybe because there's not much of a city there.
"But in a sense that's a good thing because it's more of a college-town atmosphere."
Suh plans to major in engineering.
Reach Steven M. Sipple at 473-7440 or ssipple@journalstar.com.
In the ensuing months, however, Chris Brooks' relationship with Missouri soured. His official campus visit in December just didn't feel right, he said.
"When you boil it all down, I didn't really have a relationship with Coach Pinkel during the last two months," the wide receiver from St. Louis said Thursday.
Turns out, Missouri's loss became Nebraska's gain.
Brooks, saying he felt comfortable with Nebraska head coach Bill Callahan and defensive coordinator Kevin Cosgrove, reneged on his Missouri commitment and gave his verbal pledge to NU, the first of two significant commitments landed by the Huskers on Thursday.
Later in the day, Nebraska received a pledge from Ndamukong Suh, a 6-foot-4, 278-pound defensive tackle from Portland, Ore. Suh had pared his final list to NU and California.
Both Brooks and Suh are rated as four-star prospects in Rivals.com's five-star system.
They become the 25th and 26th players known to have committed to Nebraska's highly regarded 2005 scholarship recruiting class, which now includes nine four-star prospects and two-five star players.
In landing Brooks, Nebraska tapped Cosgrove's strong recruiting ties in the St. Louis area. As a 14-year assistant at Wisconsin, Cosgrove landed a slew of St. Louis players, perhaps most notably Terrell Fletcher, a standout running back; Jamar Fletcher, the 2000 Thorpe Award winner as the nation's outstanding defensive back; and defensive tackle Wendell Bryant, a two-time Big Ten Defensive Lineman of the Year.
Cosgrove and Callahan earned Brooks' trust.
"I felt comfortable talking to them about not only football, but also life after football," Brooks said. "Coach Cosgrove, he's just an easy-going guy. I felt I could communicate with him. He understands the background I came from, so I didn't have to hide anything."
Playing for Hazelwood East High School, the 6-3, 190-pound Brooks this season had more than 50 receptions for 1,100 yards and 15 touchdowns, said head coach Corey Johnson.
"Nebraska's getting a big receiver — a big, physical receiver," Johnson said. "Plus, he's exceptional at running intermediate and short routes and catching the ball across the middle."
Brooks made an official visit to Missouri on Dec. 10.
"It wasn't all I expected," he said. "I wasn't too comfortable in the city. The players I met were great — it was nothing they did. It just didn't feel right, and I felt like I was cheating myself."
A couple weeks later, Brooks visited the Nebraska campus with a Hazelwood teammate, defensive tackle Anthony Jackson. NU students were on break, and Brooks and Jackson were the only recruits on campus.
This visit felt good, Brooks said.
Brooks, who has a 10-month-old son, likes the thought of attending college close to home, close to family. He also relishes the chance of immediate playing time, though he's not taking it for granted.
"I think there's an opportunity for all of us to compete and grow as a unit," Brooks said. "Hopefully, we can join together and accomplish our goal of winning a national championship."
Rivals.com rates Brooks No. 15 among the nation's high school wideouts, while Suh is ranked No. 6 among defensive tackles.
"Nebraska's getting a physical specimen with an attitude — but it's the right kind of attitude," said Gary Thorson, head coach at Grant High in Portland. "Ndamukong plays with just the right amount of nastiness that you want."
Suh, who participated in last weekend's U.S. Army All-American Bowl, was named Oregon's defensive player of the year in a vote of coaches.
"At Nebraska, I really like the all-around family atmosphere," he said. "The players are really tight-knit, maybe because there's not much of a city there.
"But in a sense that's a good thing because it's more of a college-town atmosphere."
Suh plans to major in engineering.
Reach Steven M. Sipple at 473-7440 or ssipple@journalstar.com.
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