South Carolina Football: Former Gamecock WR performing very well for Dallas Cowboys after long road to NFL

Former South Carolina football wide receiver Jalen Brooks had an interesting road to the NFL.

Virtually unrecruited out of Hickory Ridge High School in Harrisburg, North Carolina, Brooks enrolled at Division-II Wingate College in the fall of 2018. Even at Wingate, Brooks was undervalued. He became a full-time starter as a sophomore in 2019 and compiled over 750 yards and six touchdowns.

The success led him to transfer to new Division-I FCS school Tarleton State at the start of 2020. However, due to the Covid-19 pandemic, Brooks’ new team was considering not playing in 2020. He was looking for another new opportunity, and the South Carolina football staff under Will Muschamp took a chance on him.

After being denied eligibility for almost half the season, Brooks played a small role the rest of the way but was impressive at practice. He continued being a “behind the scenes All-American” in 2021 under Shane Beamer and a new coaching staff. Brooks had some moments where his talent shone through, but those moments didn’t quite translate to consistent success in game action.

Things seemed almost ready to turn for Brooks before he was away from the team for the back half of the 2021 season.

2022 saw a triumphant return to the gridiron for Brooks. Logging over 500 yards, a couple of scores, and a very successful 4 carries on long-developing end-arounds, Brooks displayed the ability he had shown in practice the previous two seasons.

Brooks received an invite to the NFL Scouting Combine and performed very well in some areas (route running, jugs drills, etc.) but didn’t have his best day with his athletic testing (a 4.69-second 40-yard dash and a receiver athleticism score that ranked 46th out of 50).

After a much better showing at South Carolina football’s Pro Day, NFL teams started paying closer attention to Brooks, and he had his lifelong NFL dream realized in April when the Dallas Cowboys selected him in the 7th round of the 2023 NFL Draft. He joined teammates Cam Smith, Zacch Pickens, Darius Rush, and Jovaughn Gwyn as drafted Gamecocks.

Brooks has been one of the top young wide receiver performers during camp for the Cowboys. With reps like the ones below, he appears poised to earn a roster spot heading into the season.

The Cowboys don’t appear to be surprised by Brooks’ success, either. Before camp began, they signed the former Gamecock standout to a 4-year, $3.92 Million deal that included a $771,000 cap hit in 2023, a number higher than many other 7th-round picks. Dallas had no intentions of Brooks doing anything but becoming part of America’s Team.

From Wingate, to Tarleton, to South Carolina, to nowhere, back to South Carolina, and now in the NFL, the man with the Twitter handle “@i_stay_sore1” has shown that he will not be outworked as he chases his dreams.