Alabama Football Top 10 Players of 2023: no. 9

AUBURN, ALABAMA - NOVEMBER 27: Ja'Corey Brooks (Photo by Kevin C. Cox/Getty Images)
AUBURN, ALABAMA - NOVEMBER 27: Ja'Corey Brooks (Photo by Kevin C. Cox/Getty Images) /
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Alabama Football junior wide receiver Ja’Corey Brooks returns for year three, and looks to find enough consistency to make himself a valuable NFL Draft choice. Brooks has shown flashes of greatness, but has yet to become a dominant lead receiver.

Ja’Corey Brooks was a highly touted recruit in the 2021 class, ranked as a 5-star and the no. 2 wide receiver in the class. He showed lots of promise as a true freshman, making a couple of clutch catches in big games for the Crimson Tide.

The most memorable of these plays was a touchdown snag to send the 2021 Iron Bowl to overtime. This was an instant classic of a game that would eventually see Alabama emerge victorious. Brooks would finish his first season with 15 receptions for 192 yards and two touchdowns.

As a sophomore, Ja’Corey Brooks was arguably the most reliable of a largely inconsistent receiving corps for Alabama Football. He often served as a safety valve for Bama quarterback Bryce Young, and displayed a nose for the end zone. He recorded 39 receptions for 674 yards, with team-highs of 17.3 yards per catch and eight touchdown receptions.

What will he do for his third act?

Many anticipate that Brooks is prepared to have a breakout season in the Alabama offense, and it isn’t difficult to envision. He can be effective as a possession receiver and can also generate big plays, making it tough on opposing defenses trying to prepare for him.

Based on what he has shown in his two seasons on campus, Brooks has the capability to be a 60-catch, 1,000-yard receiver as a junior, assuming the Tide has a quarterback that can get him the ball.

With Jermaine Burton another year older and Malik Benson now in the fold, this wide receiver unit should be better and deeper as a whole. Burton’s development and Benson’s presence, which could be a game-changer, will take lots of pressure off of Ja’Corey Brooks and make it even harder to gameplan against him.

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If Malik Benson has the type of year some expect, Brooks still may not get his due credit this year. Still, he should be very good and highly productive, even if he becomes the no. 2 option in the passing game.