Walk-ons aren’t supposed to by dynamic players. Walk-ons are supposed to be place holders until someone that is more talented takes their position. That’s just the way walk-ons go.
Well, that’s not the case with Tennessee safety Will Brooks, the walk-on who never turns his play-making ability off. If you need a splash play, Brooks is it, all the way back to 2022. Surely you remember Brooks the special team player in that infamous LSU game in which the Vols thumped the Tigers 40-13 on the road in Baton Rouge. Brooks was the player who put the old-fashion, butt-whipping in motion.
Brooks set it all up with a fumble recovery on the opening kickoff. However, that was just beginning. There was another Brooks waiting in the wings. Brooks the safety began to make his impact felt last season when he started one game for the Vols and played in 10 contests. That one start made a statement.
Brooks started the final regular season game in 2022, a 56-0 win over Vanderbilt, and led the Vols with a then career-high eight tackles, including one for a loss. Now, Brooks has a new role in which he has excelled at all season. Brooks the starting safety just keeps making plays.
The Birmingham, Ala., native had 10 tackles and a forced fumble last week against Arkansas. He has also broke up two passes this season, has a tackle for a loss and, of course, that 85-yard interception return for a touchdown against North Carolina State, which seemed to suck the howl out of the Wolfpack.
Need a game-changing play? Brooks is as impactful in that regard as any Vol in Tennessee’s secondary.
“You get into this business to help and develop kids,” Tennessee defensive back coach Willie Martinez said on Tuesday when asked about Brooks’ development. “That’s what it’s all about. That’s why I got into this business. Everything he does is first class.”
When did Martinez realize that Brooks was ready to play at an SEC level?
“You knew right away…as we were putting in the package three and a half years ago,” Martinez said.
Martinez said he knew Brooks was going to be a standout player because he always knew the right answers to the difficult questions in the meeting room. Sure, he had a head start since he was recruited by the Vols’ previous coaching regime, but he soaked in a new defense and, intellectually, was ready to go sooner than most. His consistency thereafter has only helped his cause as he’s become one of the Vols most dependable players, as a starting safety – that isn’t afraid to talk.
“As a leader? He’s more vocal,” Martinez said. “He’s not afraid to say it. Before he was quiet and we got on him. We kept on telling him, ‘Listen man, you’ve proven it. You’ve actually proved it.’
“That’s the best way of being a great leader…A great teammate is a guy that does it the right way, works hard. Productive? He’s earned it. And so he’s more vocal right.”
Some high-profile players try to walk into a program with a vocal mentality. That often doesn’t work. A walk-on has to walk in with a different approach. He has to prove himself first. Brooks has done that.
“You got credibility,” Martinez said .”You got street cred. You’ve proven that you’ve done it, so everything that comes out of your mouth, there should be listening. They should see it. Because man, your peers will respect you if you’re a really good player and you’re smart and you’re tough and that’s Will Brooks.”
It certainly is. Brooks the dynamic walk-on leader has a ring to it. Even if it’s a bit cumbersome. Brooks has earned the new lengthy title.
