Multiple Factors Has Brooks Eager for Senior Season
May 19, 2022 | Football, Sports Extra
By: D. Scott Fritchen
It was easy to see why Phillip Brooks was a fan favorite during a Catbacker Tour event at Oakdale Park in Salina earlier this week. The Kansas State senior wide receiver and punt-return specialist was bubbly, engaging, and eager to speak with his fans heading toward the twilight of his standout career.
"I just want to make every opportunity count," Brooks said. "There aren't too many opportunities left for me at K-State."
Another reason for Brooks' vivaciousness?
He'll get his opportunity to put on a show next fall.
The 5-foot-7, 169-pound Brooks led the Wildcats with 543 receiving yards and ranked second on the team with 43 catches last fall. He's more than excited about K-State's new-look offensive approach led by first-year offensive coordinator Collin Klein in 2022.
And that topic, along with all the possibilities, makes Brooks especially excited.
"Collin said that he wants our offense to be attacking the defense," Brooks said. "He wants us to put pressure on defenses. We're going to run some tempo and no-huddle. He wants us to control the pace of the game, so there's going to be a lot of that. I feel like we're going to put up a lot of numbers. We're going to take shots when we need to and put together drives when we need to. I'm excited about that."
Klein recruited Brooks out of Lee's Summit, Missouri. Brooks rushed for 1,666 yards and 21 touchdowns and added 556 receiving yards and 10 touchdowns at Lee's Summit West High School en route to first team all-state honors in 2017.
Brooks heads into his senior season at K-State just 49 yards short of 1,000 receiving yards in his career. A 2020 third team All-American punt returner, Brooks is tied for first nationally among active players in career punt-return touchdowns, second in punt-return average, tied for fifth in non-offensive touchdowns and seventh in punt-return yards.
He heads into his senior season assuming some duties as a veteran offensive leader and leader among the wide receiving unit.
"I'm honored and excited to take on a leadership role this year," he said. "I'm not a big rah-rah guy; I'm kind of a quiet guy. But I'm breaking out of my shell. Especially training and practicing, I give my all 100% and I think my teammates see that. On top of that, I make plays in games and that always helps. If you want to lead, people want to see the results of all the hard work you put in."
The addition of wide receivers coach Thad Ward in February further boosts Brooks' enthusiasm. Ward, a 20-year coaching veteran, vowed to take the Wildcats' wide receivers to a higher level. He didn't waste any time in getting started in that endeavor.
Soon after initial phone calls and meetings with Brooks, Ward rolled up his sleeves, dialed up video of some NFL wide receivers, and began tutoring Brooks on the finer points of being an even bigger threat in the passing game.
"Once we got past the part of getting to know each other, Coach Ward was big into talking about technique," Brooks said. "He is technique, technique, technique. He showed me what NFL players do with his technique. He's going to get the receivers right. He's a scholar of the game, and I can't wait to play for him."
As for some of Brooks' biggest takeaways from the meetings with Ward?
"Just cleaning up my routes and getting in and out of breaks and utilizing different stems that I can use against different defenders and coverages was important," Brooks said. "I saw ways to read things better and more cleanly whether it's in zone or man defense, things like that. Coach Ward has definitely helped me more in specifically reading defenses better and working on stemming my routes and working on my hand activity. I'm a smaller receiver, so defenders are going to want to put their hands on me.
"That's all just the start. I can always get better. I'm excited for that challenge. I feel like I haven't even hit my ceiling yet. Hopefully, I reach my potential this year. It's going to be a big year for me and a big year for the team."
One reason for Brooks' optimism comes in the addition of 6-foot-2, 220-pound transfer quarterback Adrian Martinez, who left a four-year career at Nebraska owning 16 school records and as one of just four active quarterbacks in the FBS with 8,000 passing yards and 1,000 rushing yards in a career.
Martinez, the first three-time team captain in Nebraska history, didn't throw the ball until late in the spring following shoulder surgery this past November. But he put on a show for his new K-State teammates in the final two spring practices.
"It's funny because he couldn't throw when he first got here, but he was still doing strength and conditioning with us," Brooks said. "I remember we were lining up to do a drill, and he told me, 'Phil, get on the line. I want to race you.' He was over here challenging me, and I had just met him. I liked that.
"He's a very competitive person. He was able to practice at the end of the spring and did very well. We'll get better and better. I'm going to get with him over the summer and will be with him all the time. He's going to be a problem in the Big 12. I don't know if anybody watched him at Nebraska, but he's going to be a problem in the Big 12, and I'm excited about that."
Brooks anxiously awaits the meeting against his home-state team, the Missouri Tigers, who will visit Bill Snyder Family Stadium on September 10.
"I'm looking forward to playing that game a lot," Brooks said. "That'll be one of my most favorite games to play this year. Tune in for that. I'm excited to play them. I'll just say that."
K-State kicks off its season against South Dakota on September 3. That's the first game that Brooks and the Wildcats have circled on their schedule. The first game of Brooks' senior season is sure to give him pause as he storms out of the tunnel with his teammates.
He's eager to perform for his fans in the fall.
"It honestly doesn't get any better," he said. "We have true diehard fans. I never grew up around diehard fans before. I remember my first game, just walking out of the tunnel and seeing the stands full. I'd never seen that before aside from on TV. It's a moment in your life that not a lot of people get to enjoy. It helps make the game fun and more meaningful to me. I love it.
"To feel that energy is something beautiful."
It was easy to see why Phillip Brooks was a fan favorite during a Catbacker Tour event at Oakdale Park in Salina earlier this week. The Kansas State senior wide receiver and punt-return specialist was bubbly, engaging, and eager to speak with his fans heading toward the twilight of his standout career.
"I just want to make every opportunity count," Brooks said. "There aren't too many opportunities left for me at K-State."
Another reason for Brooks' vivaciousness?
He'll get his opportunity to put on a show next fall.
The 5-foot-7, 169-pound Brooks led the Wildcats with 543 receiving yards and ranked second on the team with 43 catches last fall. He's more than excited about K-State's new-look offensive approach led by first-year offensive coordinator Collin Klein in 2022.
And that topic, along with all the possibilities, makes Brooks especially excited.
"Collin said that he wants our offense to be attacking the defense," Brooks said. "He wants us to put pressure on defenses. We're going to run some tempo and no-huddle. He wants us to control the pace of the game, so there's going to be a lot of that. I feel like we're going to put up a lot of numbers. We're going to take shots when we need to and put together drives when we need to. I'm excited about that."
Klein recruited Brooks out of Lee's Summit, Missouri. Brooks rushed for 1,666 yards and 21 touchdowns and added 556 receiving yards and 10 touchdowns at Lee's Summit West High School en route to first team all-state honors in 2017.
Brooks heads into his senior season at K-State just 49 yards short of 1,000 receiving yards in his career. A 2020 third team All-American punt returner, Brooks is tied for first nationally among active players in career punt-return touchdowns, second in punt-return average, tied for fifth in non-offensive touchdowns and seventh in punt-return yards.
He heads into his senior season assuming some duties as a veteran offensive leader and leader among the wide receiving unit.
"I'm honored and excited to take on a leadership role this year," he said. "I'm not a big rah-rah guy; I'm kind of a quiet guy. But I'm breaking out of my shell. Especially training and practicing, I give my all 100% and I think my teammates see that. On top of that, I make plays in games and that always helps. If you want to lead, people want to see the results of all the hard work you put in."
The addition of wide receivers coach Thad Ward in February further boosts Brooks' enthusiasm. Ward, a 20-year coaching veteran, vowed to take the Wildcats' wide receivers to a higher level. He didn't waste any time in getting started in that endeavor.
Soon after initial phone calls and meetings with Brooks, Ward rolled up his sleeves, dialed up video of some NFL wide receivers, and began tutoring Brooks on the finer points of being an even bigger threat in the passing game.
"Once we got past the part of getting to know each other, Coach Ward was big into talking about technique," Brooks said. "He is technique, technique, technique. He showed me what NFL players do with his technique. He's going to get the receivers right. He's a scholar of the game, and I can't wait to play for him."
As for some of Brooks' biggest takeaways from the meetings with Ward?
"Just cleaning up my routes and getting in and out of breaks and utilizing different stems that I can use against different defenders and coverages was important," Brooks said. "I saw ways to read things better and more cleanly whether it's in zone or man defense, things like that. Coach Ward has definitely helped me more in specifically reading defenses better and working on stemming my routes and working on my hand activity. I'm a smaller receiver, so defenders are going to want to put their hands on me.
"That's all just the start. I can always get better. I'm excited for that challenge. I feel like I haven't even hit my ceiling yet. Hopefully, I reach my potential this year. It's going to be a big year for me and a big year for the team."
One reason for Brooks' optimism comes in the addition of 6-foot-2, 220-pound transfer quarterback Adrian Martinez, who left a four-year career at Nebraska owning 16 school records and as one of just four active quarterbacks in the FBS with 8,000 passing yards and 1,000 rushing yards in a career.
Martinez, the first three-time team captain in Nebraska history, didn't throw the ball until late in the spring following shoulder surgery this past November. But he put on a show for his new K-State teammates in the final two spring practices.
"It's funny because he couldn't throw when he first got here, but he was still doing strength and conditioning with us," Brooks said. "I remember we were lining up to do a drill, and he told me, 'Phil, get on the line. I want to race you.' He was over here challenging me, and I had just met him. I liked that.
"He's a very competitive person. He was able to practice at the end of the spring and did very well. We'll get better and better. I'm going to get with him over the summer and will be with him all the time. He's going to be a problem in the Big 12. I don't know if anybody watched him at Nebraska, but he's going to be a problem in the Big 12, and I'm excited about that."
Brooks anxiously awaits the meeting against his home-state team, the Missouri Tigers, who will visit Bill Snyder Family Stadium on September 10.
"I'm looking forward to playing that game a lot," Brooks said. "That'll be one of my most favorite games to play this year. Tune in for that. I'm excited to play them. I'll just say that."
K-State kicks off its season against South Dakota on September 3. That's the first game that Brooks and the Wildcats have circled on their schedule. The first game of Brooks' senior season is sure to give him pause as he storms out of the tunnel with his teammates.
He's eager to perform for his fans in the fall.
"It honestly doesn't get any better," he said. "We have true diehard fans. I never grew up around diehard fans before. I remember my first game, just walking out of the tunnel and seeing the stands full. I'd never seen that before aside from on TV. It's a moment in your life that not a lot of people get to enjoy. It helps make the game fun and more meaningful to me. I love it.
"To feel that energy is something beautiful."
Players Mentioned
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