Just as he did at North Oconee, Khamari Brooks is excelling early at Georgia
ATHENS — Khalil Barnes knew there was a scout from Oklahoma coming to watch his game.
While at North Oconee, Barnes hoped to impress the Sooners staff, as they made an effort to recruit him. Georgia, famously, did not show Barnes the same level of love.
But after the game, the scout in question wanted him to talk about a freshman standout.
That player in question was Khamari Brooks, who is once again turning heads as a freshman. And this time, Georgia made sure he ended up staying home.
“He’s been that,” Barnes said of Brooks. “But really, really confident, really mature for his age, and just the way he carries himself, and he’s gonna be special.”
Brooks has been an improved player for the Bulldogs coming out of the team’s off week. He picked up two tackles for loss in a 27-8 win over the Florida Gators.
Then this past week, he picked up a second-quarter sack of Ole Miss quarterback Trinidad Chambliss. It would be the first of five sacks the Georgia defense picked up against the Rebels.
Georgia had none when facing Chambliss last season. But the Bulldogs did not have Brooks at that point in time.
“He’s very wise beyond his year,” Georgia coach Kirby Smart said. “He’s very mature. One of the most composed, savvy, intelligent freshmen I’ve been around. And I love that, because he’s sharp. He’s really smart.”
Brooks has appeared in all nine games this season for Georgia, logging 15 tackles. All three of his tackles for loss have come in Georgia’s last two games.
While he has a string of disruptive plays, Smart did note the freshman was at fault for Ole Miss’ lone touchdown in the 42-7 win. The Georgia coach knows it will ultimately prove to be a good learning experience for Brooks.
Injuries have been part of the reason he has found himself playing such a key role at the outside linebacker position. Auburn transfer Amaris Williams has missed the entire season to this point because of an ACL injury he suffered in the spring.
Fellow outside linebacker Chase Linton missed games earlier this season because of an injury as well. The Bulldogs have been able to rely on Quintavius Johnson, who has 3.0 sacks on the season.
But the emergence of Brooks has lightened the load for Georgia in a big way.
“He almost kind of plays the game before the game. Him having those two tackles for losses in the game, that was great,” Johnson said of Brooks prior to Georgia’s game against Ole Miss. “That was a great feeling for me on the sideline. Him coming to the sideline, being able to pick his brain to see what he saw in those plays. I mean, it just feels great to have a younger guy ready to play winning football.”
Thanks to his time at North Oconee High School, Brooks has long been accustomed to winning football. He played a major role in leading the team to a state championship during his junior season. He played both ways for the Titans, putting on a dominant showing in the state championship game. He had 1.5 sacks and caught a touchdown to secure the team’s victory.
He had a modest recruiting ranking coming out of high school, finishing the cycle as the No. 167 overall recruit in the 247Sports Composite rankings. A hip injury ended up sidelining Brooks for much of his senior season, which also dulled some of the hype around his arrival in Athens.
But it’s worth remembering that Georgia and Alabama battled hard to win Brooks’ commitment. The Bulldogs were able to land the local outside linebacker and are already reaping the benefits of that victory.