BREAKING: Three-star RB Tahj Brooks commits to Texas Tech

After a navigating through a series of visits across the country this spring and summer, Tahj Brooks has made his college decision.

The three-star running back out of Manor (Texas) High School committed to Texas Tech over a host of Power 5 contenders, including Vanderbilt, Duke, TCU and Georgia Tech.

Brooks was committed to Tulsa for the length of his junior year, but Power 5 schools could not resist the talented tailback when they evaluated him this spring. That includes teams from the SEC, Big Ten, Big 12, Pac 12 and ACC alike.

On picking the Red Raiders: "It was based on how I felt at each school, which coaching staff described how they'd use me best and getting my degree, being around my future teammates and stuff like that."

On his recent official visit to Lubbock: "The highlights, well, they got some pretty cool food places to eat down there. The coaches, they made it clear how badly they wanted me down there."

On the push from the staff: "When they got to Tech, this 2020 recruiting class will be their first as a staff. They did very well. They talked to me about the offense that they're gonna run. It's pretty fast. I think it averages a play every 11 or so seconds and they run the ball a lot. When you think of Texas Tech, you think of Coach (Kliff) Kingsbury and the Air Raid, but now they're gonna run it out of the spread, run it out of the pistol and run the ball, and I think that's a pretty good fit for me."

On the Texas Tech offense: "They told me I'm an every-down back. The running backs coach (Deandre Smith) said he'll play three guys in a game and he said I'd be the biggest back on campus. The other running backs, right now, they're trying to gain weight to try and get to 200 (pounds). I'm already 218 (pounds) and when I get to school I might be 220."

On his decision: "This whole process was based on finding a family atmosphere of the coaches and how the coaches talked to me, giving me calls or saying, 'What's up?' or 'We still love you.' The biggest thing was just how they recruited me. Lubbock is actually seven hours away from home, so it's pretty far away. The city is pretty cool. Everything is small -- the dorms, the field, the practice field, the classes, the academic advisors around campus -- it's pretty small. You can basically walk the campus and you'll see everywhere and I think that's pretty cool."

On future expectations: "I'll give 100-percent every play. I'll their big back on campus, win titles and championships. I want to be on Heisman Watch my first year and I want to try and break all the schools records, and for school, I want to make the Dean's List as a student-athlete."

Naturally, Texas Tech winning a recruiting battle with another in-state Big 12 team says it all. Coach Matt Wells not only had to go toe-to-toe with rival TCU for Brooks' commitment but had to hold off Vanderbilt, Duke and Georgia Tech for this coveted tailback.

Brooks gives Texas Tech a reliable three-down running back to lean on and power the team's running game for the foreseeable future, an element that has been lacking in Lubbock in recent memory.

The 5-foot-11, 200-plus-pounder has eclipsed 1,100 yards rushing in each of the past two seasons. That includes a 1,200-yard campaign as a junior in 2018, which included 21 trips to the end zone and a yards-per-carry mark north of 8.0.

Brooks is a big-bodied back weighing just above 205 pounds by the time spring ball wrapped up. He's a straight-line runner that can push the pile with noticeable power. Brooks clocked a 4.8-second 40 time earlier this spring, which compliments his downhill running style and powerful build to run through defenders. He's capable of running in-between the tackles and out to the boundaries and sees the field very well.

The three-star back has good agility and makes effective cuts out of the backfield and in space to throw defenders off. He also has soft hands and runs good routes and will be an asset for the Red Raiders in the passing game on screens and passes out in the flats.