3-Star DE Z'Core Brooks becoming a big target for Big 12 programs
CEDAR HILL, Tex. -- It’s not hard to pick out Z’Core Brooks when he steps into the room. As if standing at six-and-a-half feet tall wasn’t enough, the bright red tips on his long bushy hair immediately draws the eye.
College programs have noticed him as well. More than just his size, his potential after what he showed in his junior season has coaches sending him offers, trying to set up visits, and trying to lock him down before he really blows up.
“It’s really been an awesome process with the recruiting,” he said. “But it’s time for me to get focused on the season.”
Brooks said the trio of Baylor, Oklahoma State and SMU have come to the forefront in his recruitment over the past several weeks. After recent visits to Stillwater and Waco, he said that he’s ready to see where things go with the Mustangs as well.
“Things have been pretty good; they’re really trying to get me out there,” he said of SMU. “They’ve wanted me to come out and see a practice. I feel like they’re trying to go get it, for real.”
IN HIS WORDS
On Baylor, where he visited mid-March
“That was pretty nice, just looking at the facilities and the coaching staff,” he said. “Coach (Frank) Okam is a really cool guy, he said that he was going to come out and see in the spring how I work and how my feet are and take it from there.”
On Oklahoma State, where he visited at the end of February
“Things have been pretty cool, I like it,” he said. “They just stay in touch a lot. When I was out there, it was pretty nice - I just liked the whole thing, really. That was the first visit I took, so I was pretty excited … that set the bar pretty high.”
RIVALS REACTION
Brooks said the Bears and Cowboys seem headed for official visits before the end of summer, as he would like to make a commitment before the start of his senior season. Brooks also said that Purdue has stepped in as a team he’s been interested in for many of the same reasons as SMU - the Boilermakers have the look of a program on the rise, and taking an official up to see the school is the most effective way for him to make a call on where they fit in his considerations.