David Pollack, a three-time All-American at Georgia and now assistant at North Oconee, and several others connected to the Titans football program are quite complimentary of four-star class of 2026 prospect Khamari Brooks — for both his on-field skills and his mental approach.
“Khamari is one of the most brilliant people I’ve ever been around,” Pollack said.
On Friday, notably Brooks’ birthday, the junior EDGE announced his top three schools: Alabama, Clemson and Georgia.
“These schools I have talked to the head coaches of those programs,” he said. “They speak so highly of me and at all those schools I feel that I will have a great chance to develop.”
Brooks got the chance to be around the UGA staff earlier this month for the first of two big “Junior Day” weekends in Athens.
He hasn’t set his official visits up yet for his top three schools.
“We’ll probably get those set up when I see what our football summer schedule looks like,” he said.
Former Georgia linebacker Christian Robinson, now an assistant at Alabama, has been an asset for the Crimson Tide in the recruiting process.
“The relationship that I have with [Christian Robinson] at Alabama and he talks to me almost everyday and tells me what type of player I can be at Alabama and he already talks about the way they will use me,” Brooks said.
At Clemson, defensive ends coach Chris Rumph, who spent several years coaching in the NFL before taking the job with the Tigers, has been the primary relationship for Brooks.
Georgia EDGE coach Chidera Uzo-Diribe is recruiting Brooks heavily for the Bulldogs. Brooks said the Bulldogs turned up the intensity recruiting Brooks after his performance in the GHSA Class 4A state title game.
Why Khamari Brooks has Georgia in his top three schools
Brooks on player development and game time at Georgia
“They get players on the field early,” the likely early enrollee said. “They substitute a lot of guys on the defensive side of the ball. I think this year - I was in a meeting - I think they said like 17 guys played. I know I think like two or three in Chaz [Chambliss] and Damon [Wilson] were the ones that really fluctuated a lot. They play a lot of guys on the defensive side of the ball. They’ve had multiple freshmen All-Americans over this past couple of years. That’s the thing I like the most. If you show that you are good enough to play, they are going to put you out there.”
“They see me as a EDGE. Kind of that guy who will be able move around a lot. They really talked about to me about getting right around the 250 [pound] range. Being able to move around [and a guy] that does all those things like drop back in coverage. They don’t want me to be that bigger guy that just plays end all the time. They want me to be the guy that moves around and does a lot of different things.”
Brooks on what Uzo-Diribe has told him
“He really likes my film and the way that I’m really versatile. I’d say I’m one of the more versatile players at that position around the country. I will play inside ‘backer sometimes, but I will also drop off to play the middle linebacker. ... He liked the way I developed since I came to camp this summer. He reallly talked about that when I got the offer and when I went up there for the game. He said I had developed so fast from the time he had seen me at camp throughout the whole season. He just said I developed really fast.”
Brooks on family ties to the Bulldogs
“I think it was my great uncle played at Georgia so yeah and then my kind of like step-grandad also played there. So I kind of grew up a Georgia fan all my life.”
“One of them is Horace King. He was one of the first five African-Americans to play at Georgia. So that’s my great uncle and then Charles Junior. He was on the 1980 national championship team. He’s kind of like been around my life the whole time being with my grandmother back then before he passed. Those two are the guys who played at Georgia.”
Brooks on the importance of education
“Education is a non-negotiable. That’s always going to be the most important thing. Then having a great relationship with my position coach. Those are two things that are really going to be the most important no matter where you go. That’s because at the end of the day, you are going to need your education. Because at some time football is going to end. Then having that relationship with that coach for however many years you are there for. That’s the guy you’re going to be around the most.”
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