Tag: Ja’Corey Brooks

Louisville WR Ja’Corey Brooks keeps playing his way up draft boards

Louisville WR Ja’Corey Brooks keeps playing his way up draft boards after another great performance against Boston College

Louisville wide receiver Ja’Corey Brooks is not a name that was featured on many top-100s or buzzy watchlists before the season. After catching just three passes in nine games at Alabama in 2023, the senior transfer was largely overlooked.

Not anymore. Brooks has emerged as a legit 2025 NFL Draft prospect and his stock is rising by the week. On Friday night against Boston College, Brooks continued his climb up draft charts.

It’s fitting that Brooks wears No. 1 for the Cardinals, because he is clearly the No. 1 option. The defenses from Miami last week and then Boston College have known that in the last two weeks, too, but that hasn’t really mattered. Even with the coverage keying on Brooks, he keeps delivering with clutch catches all over the field.

On Louisville’s first scoring drive on Friday night at Boston College, Brooks caught three straight Tyler Shough passes to set up the touchdown. He held onto a post pattern catch that led him into a vicious (and clean) hit from the Eagles safety, but Brooks popped right up, showing his toughness. He even threw a solid block on the touchdown run two plays later.

Brooks ended the night with eight catches for 120 yards in helping key the major comeback road win. That comes on the heels of a 6-catch outing against Miami for 106 yards and two scores. Brooks’ ability to win over hte middle and outside the numbers continues to impress. His performance in pressure situations the last two weeks really stands out.

Could Michigan football target a former Alabama five-star in the portal?

There are some definite connections with him and the program. #GoBlue

The transfer portal has been open for a couple of weeks and delivered a lot of top-end talent. Michigan is rumored to be involved with five-star quarterback Dante Moore from UCLA but could be looking at another more recent offensive entry into the portal in former Alabama wide receiver Ja’Corey Brooks.

The biggest factor for Michigan and Brooks is the J.J. McCarthy connection. McCarthy played three years of high school football at Nazareth Academy outside of Chicago before transferring to IMG Academy in Florida for his senior year. This is where McCarthy met up with Brooks who had just transferred from Booker T. Washington in South Florida. IMG went 8-0 and Brooks linked up with McCarthy to lead the team in receiving.

With McCarthy being the obvious link, his return is essential to any recruiting efforts made toward Brooks. Both Cornelius Johnson and Roman Wilson are likely to head to the NFL which would leave Michigan inexperienced at the position. Right now, Darrius Clemons is the only true ‘X’ receiver on the roster and he has rarely seen the field for Michigan during his two-year career. Brooks has played three years at a premier program and was on the roster for the 2021 national title game where the Tide fell just short of a championship.

Brooks had a big 2022 season for the Tide with 674 yards but was bumped down the depth chart this year due to injury and recorded just 30 yards. However, his ability to perform remains clear. Brooks has what it takes to be a productive player and could fill both an on-field role and a mentorship role for Michigan in 2024.

Brooks currently has a transfer grade of .9100 from 247Sports, making him the 43rd-ranked player in the portal.

In addition to the obvious on-field benefits, it might be nice to land a commitment from a former Alabama player in the days following their signing of a recent Michigan coach.