Jalen Brooks back with South Carolina football
Wide receiver Jalen Brooks is back with the South Carolina football team.
The State’s Ben Portnoy first reported the news Wednesday evening, citing multiple university sources. Gamecock Central‘s Mike Uva confirmed the news.
The 6-foot-2, 202-pound senior missed the final half of last season with what head coach Shane Beamer called a “personal matter” at the time.
Brooks was not with the team for spring practice but Beamer said last week that he expected some resolution, one way or the other, on Brooks’ status with the program in June.
Brooks played in six games last season when he caught 14 passes for 181 yards and a touchdown. The year prior, his first year with South Carolina, he also played in six games, catching 11 passes for 100 yards.
Brooks’ playing time was limited in 2020 as he waited for the NCAA to rule on his eligibility after the Harrisburg, N.C. native transferred to South Carolina following two seasons at Wingate and a brief stop at Tarleton State. And then he missed the final six regular-season games and the bowl game with last year’s issue.
Brooks returns to a South Carolina receiver room that looks a good bit different than the one he left after the arrival of transfers Antwane Wells Jr. and Corey Rucker.
Wells went through spring practice with the program after transferring in from James Madison while Rucker arrived last week via Arkansas State.
The Gamecocks also return leading receiver Josh Vann with Xavier Legette appearing to take a big step forward this spring as well.
With a loaded tight end room, the Gamecocks should have a much deeper, more experienced receiver group than the last two seasons.
A Hickory Ridge graduate, Brooks caught 52 passes for 1,048 yards and 10 TDs in his two seasons at Wingate.
