100 Days to Football Time in Oklahoma: #26 Kennedy Brooks By: Ryan Lewis Posted on: August 3, 2020

The Path to Norman

The Texas product was offered by the Sooners about a year before his signing day. Despite having Trey Sermon committed for the 2017 class, the Sooners were after two running backs as the running back group looked possible to slim down. The odds of Samaje Perine and Joe Mixon leaving seemed high (and eventually happened) and nobody was certain how well Rodney Anderson would be able to perform once he got back to the field after two major injuries (quite well, as it turned out). Brooks committed in the fall of the 2016 season. 

Career So Far

The expectation was for Brooks to redshirt in 2017, and redshirt he did. However, it happened in an unfortunate way. Kennedy tore his labrum shortly before the season and had to undergo surgery. 

Before the 2018 season, Rodney Anderson, Trey Sermon, and Marcelias Sutton were all assumed to be ahead of Brooks on the depth chart. However, it seemed like there was a spot for Brooks as well. Sure enough, he turned in a thousand-yard season, was included on the USA Today Freshman All-American squad, and was an All-Big 12 Honorable Mention. He ranked third nationally with 8.87 yards per carry, just shy of Greg Pruitt’s OU record of 8.97 yards per carry in a season. 

In 2019, despite the running back room receiving fewer carries under the Jalen Hurts offense,  Brooks had another 1,000 yard season. He was a second-team All-Big 12 honoree and his 6.5 yards per carry ranked ninth in the country and first in the Big 12. Brooks has a habit of being downfield before you realize it, and 2019 was no different.

Current Profile

Position: Running Back

Height: 5’11”

Weight: 215

Year: Redshirt Junior

Stats

Stats via Soonersports.com

Highlights

Record Book Look

Get this; Kennedy Brooks is averaging 7.5 yards per carry. That’s on pace to break OU’s career record for yards per carry, currently held by Darrell Shepard at 7.48, and Brooks has almost twice as many carries as Shepard. Those are insane efficiency numbers helped by this Lincoln Riley-led, Bill Bedenbaugh-blocked OU offense. 

Brooks is one of only nine Sooners to ever have two 1,000 yard rushing seasons. 

He’s also slotted at number 30 on the all-time OU career rushing yards list; another 1,000 yard season would put him in the top 10. 

Another kicker? If he does hit that 1,000 yard mark again, he’ll be only the fourth Sooner to ever have three 1,000 yard rushing seasons. The other three: Adrian Peterson, Samaje Perine, and De’Mond Parker. That’s pretty good company.

2020 Season

As was mentioned in the Rhamondre Stevenson countdown,

“The OU running game is set to look different than it did in 2019. With the departures of Jalen Hurts, Trey Sermon, and CeeDee Lamb, a lot of production from last year is lost; 52% of all carries, 52% of rushing yards, and 66% of rushing touchdowns were produced by those three guys last year.”

Brooks will be expected to carry a lot of load in 2020, and expectations will go with that.

Expect another big year and third consecutive 1,000 yard season from a guy that has been an anchor on the OU offense for the past two seasons.