Before Tony Brooks-James arrived on Oregon’s campus, he was touted as a top 10 running back recruit in the state of Florida. Known for his breakaway speed in the open field and elusiveness as a runner, Brooks-James, 5-foot-9, 185 pounds, earned a four-star rating from Scout.com.
As a freshman, Brooks-James excelled on Oregon’s scout team, prompting Mark Helfrich to name him Special Teams Scout Team Player of the Year.
A dual sport athlete, Brooks-James also ran the lead leg for third fastest 4×100 relay in school history last year at the NCAA West Regional Meet in Austin, Texas.
It took some time before Oregon fans were fully introduced to Brooks-James on the gridiron. While track fans were aware of his impressive debut season, football fans had to wait until this season to get a hint of his entertaining skill set.
The wait was worthwhile.
In the Ducks’ season opener against Eastern Washington, Brooks-James ran for a season-high 63 yards and two touchdowns. Against Georgia State, he added 67 total yards with a collegiate-best 17 receiving yards. When starter Royce Freeman was briefly sidelined against Michigan State, Brooks-James rushed the ball three times for 20 yards, finishing as Oregon’s second leading rusher.
“There’s no pressure if you know what you’re doing, and I know what I’m doing,” Brooks-James said.
Needless to say, Brooks-James, who has welcomed general comparisons to all-time leading rusher LaMichael James, has provided running backs coach Gary Campbell a good problem with Taj Griffin and Kani Benoit also in the mix.
“He hasn’t become as physical a runner as LaMichael (James) was yet,” Campbell said. “Tony and I have talked about his role of becoming more of a physical runner than just an open field, slashing kind of guy. I think we’re going to see more of that as the season progresses.”
Said Helfrich: “They’re competing, they’re both tough guys – Taj and Tony. Nothing but great things to come for both of them.”
Brooks-James chose Oregon for its rich history of running backs, especially in the past decade.
“I’ve seen them on TV and I’ve seen De’Anthony [Thomas]. During my recruiting, [Coach Campbell] told me I could be one of those guys and play at the slot and backfield as well,” Brooks-James said. “I could either come here and produce or go somewhere else and sit. I took my chances here.”
While Oregon’s season hasn’t gone according to plan, Brooks-James and Campbell both have high expectations for their talented backfield.
Brooks-James, who will continue to develop alongside the next crop of Oregon backs in Griffin and Benoit, has continued to embrace that high-level competition.
“When I recruited him, it was my thought that he was going to be a factor in our offense,” Gary Campbell said. “He’s stepping up and living up to the expectations I had when I recruited him.”