Ricky Brookins Provides a Spark and Leadership off the Bench
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Ricky Brookins (33) eludes a tackler against Michigan State Image: Sarah Miller Hoosier Huddle
Written By Evan McShane (@veryreasonable)
Ricky Brookins, the former Terre Haute North High School standout, provides the Hoosiers with consistency and great leadership despite a lack of production. The in-state product won the Class 5A rushing title in high school with 2,012 yards, 27 touchdowns, and a healthy 8.1 yards-per-carry average. Brookins was unranked as a high school running back by nearly every recruiting website. A blistering senior season wasn’t enough for Brookins to get the attention of bigger schools, so he took a chance as a walk-on at IU. Brookins said regarding his collegiate offers coming out of high school, “I mean, I had some small schools, but I wanted to go big.” Brookins earned his keep as a redshirt in 2014. Asked if he was ever dejected while being patient on the practice squad, Brookins said, “I never got discouraged to the point where I wanted to quit because I love football.” He was named scout team player of the week once, and was rewarded with a scholarship for the 2015 season. The confident yet humble Brookins declared, “I knew I could do it.”
Coupled with unwavering confidence was Indiana University’s proximity to Brookins’ hometown. “Well, I’m from Terre Haute, which is an hour away; but I’ve always liked it here,” Brookins commented on his easy decision to walk-on at IU. “It’s a great school and I loved the campus when I came to visit.” Brookins explained the importance of having his family nearby for support: “My family can come visit me, and I can go visit them when I need to.” That comfort level has helped Ricky fit right in with this team and this town. Tom Allen, fellow Indiana native, had some extremely high praise for Brookins following the Michigan State game: “Ricky Brookins is the young man that we named as our offensive player of the game. Did everything we asked him to do in both protections and in the screen game, and just getting some tough runs. Just a guy that came here is as a walk-on that really has always been dependable, and love him for that and his character.”
Brookins only has three rushing attempts for four yards this season, although he has one rushing touchdown. He has evolved as more of a threat in the passing game. Usually located in the slot position, Brookins has racked up seven catches for 57 yards this year on quick slants, screens, and passes in the flat. Lauded as a wonderful teammate, Brookins possesses a mature mindset. If he isn’t When asked how he gives DeBord and the coaching staff confidence in him, he replied, “I try and provide that by letting the coaches know I know what I’m doing when I’m out there.” Brookins elaborated upon the importance of execution. He focuses on the little things so that the big picture takes care of itself. Brookins eloquently discussed what the running backs need to do better and how the team will prepare for the final five games of the season.
“I think we need to run the ball more; be more productive as running backs,” Brookins said. Running the ball more effectively would certainly help open things up for quarterback Peyton Ramsey. “We’ve got to be able to run the ball against teams,” Ricky stated. Brookins pointed out how the Hoosiers have missed several “shots” downfield: “I know we missed a few long balls that would’ve changed the game.” Brookins understands that a stronger rushing attack would create the separation necessary to connect on those deep passes. At the end of the day, Indiana needs touchdowns. Brookins stated the obvious, “We need to get more points as an offense instead of just getting field goals.” Ricky was pressed about Indiana’s red zone offense as well. He responded, “Whenever we are getting down there, we have to score in the red zone.” He continued, “That’s our objective because we know we can get down there, we’ll make the shots whenever we need to, get the first downs; but whenever we’re close in the red zone, we always seem to get stopped or something doesn’t go our way or we get a penalty. So we are trying to correct things like that.” Correcting the little things, and the rest will take care of itself.
Now that Indiana’s toughest part of their schedule is over. It has been among the most difficult schedule any college football team has faced all season. The Hoosiers have fought tooth and nail with not only some of the country’s top-ranked programs, but some of the best defenses in the nation. Brookins accurately reiterated what we’ve heard time and again from head coach Tom Allen, “The way we look at it is regardless of who were playing, statistics, whether they’re ranked or top defenses, we play everyone the same.” Among the loudest critiques of recent IU teams has been their perplexing ability to hang with tough opponents, and struggle with weaker ones. Brookins described the team’s mentality, “We go out there and try to play against the best. Whether they are ranked we want to play them like everyone is at the top.” If Indiana can play against Maryland the way they played against Michigan and Michigan State, they should take care of business at College Park.