New Tider
Brooks Daniels

Birthday: 3-15-81
High School: Hamilton County
HS Mascot: Trojans
HS Coach: Bruce Beguet
HS Position: OLB
HS Number: 21
AL Number: 10
Official Visits: Alabama, Georgia, Clemson, South Carolina
Second Choice: Clemson or Georgia
Committed: 2-2-2000

How many linebackers are athletic enough to return punts? Not many. Daniels is one of the few.

As a junior Daniels returned eight kicks for touchdowns!

His incredible 4.39 speed makes him one of the nation's top linebacker prospects. He's compared to former Tide star Ralph Staten, but Daniels is even faster than the lightening-quick Staten.

Daniels was the fourth-rated linebacker in the southeast by PrepStar and was a SuperPrep All-America pick. He was the No. 8 prospect in Florida.

As a senior he had 115 tackles.

What Experts Say about Brooks Daniels

Bobby Burton: "Great foot speed. Athletic skills a perfect fit for linebacker."

Bill Buchalter: "Great athleticism and speed to the football. A great linebacker."

Allen Wallace: "Extraordinary playmaker from a small school that has become a pipeline to college programs. Huge signee for the Tide."

Forrest Davis: "Probably the fastest linebacker in the South. A Forrest Davis Recruiting Annual 2nd Team All-South pick."

Q&A with Brooks Daniels

TI: During recruiting it seemed like every report had you favoring a different school. Were you playing games with the reporters?

BD: Oh yeah, I got tired of the phone calls and the same questions. It got to the point where I just would say whatever came to my mind. I would tell one guy that Alabama was out of the picture and the next guy that Georgia was out of it. I was mixing it up on them.

TI: The weekend before signing day there were reports that you had committed to Georgia. Supposedly, you were going to make your decision known publicly on Countdown to Signing Day on the Saturday prior to signing day. Talk about that.

BD: I was going to be in Atlanta that weekend to go to the Super Bowl with my uncle. I had told the Georgia coaches that I was committed and they said since I was going to be in Atlanta that they would arrange for me to announce it on Countdown to Signing Day [which is filmed in Atlanta]. But on the day before [Friday], I decided that I wasn't committed to Georgia. That's why I didn't go to Atlanta.

TI: On that Friday, Coach Jeff Rouzie visited you at your school. How did that visit impact your decision?

BD: It had a lot of impact. He told me that Alabama would be playing for the national championship in the next few years. He said that I could get early playing time. Then later that day I talked to Coach [Terry] Jones. I had met him on my official visit to Alabama and really liked him a lot. He told me how much they needed me at Alabama. I changed my mind right then.

TI: On the night before signing day, your mother told reporters that you had changed your mind three times that day. She said that you woke up saying Alabama. When you came home from school that afternoon it was Georgia. She said when you went to bed that night that you told her it was Clemson. Is that true?

BD: [Laughing] Yeah, I really got confused. There was a lot of stuff going on. During most of recruiting I thought I was going to Alabama. Then the Georgia coaches told me some things about other players Alabama was recruiting which kind of made me re-think everything.

On signing day I woke up thinking Georgia. Then at school that morning I talked to Coach Rouzie and Coach DuBose and they straightened everything out. Then I talked to Clemson and I wasn't sure what I was going to do. The pressure was building. About five minutes before I was supposed to sign I called my uncle. He said that the key points to consider were playing for a national championship and early playing time. I knew then that it was definitely Alabama. At the signing ceremony when I said Alabama it was like all the pressure was relieved.

TI: Other than those two key points, did anything else influence your decision?

BD: I'd say the players, the coaches and the environment at Alabama. I took my official visit to Alabama the weekend they played Tennessee. I got to see close-up how they prepare and what it's like to play for Alabama. I really fell in love right then. I kind of knew after that that no matter what, Alabama would end up being the place for me.

During my visit I talked to Anthony Bryant. We had become kind of close at the Alabama camp last summer. He told me that if I came to Alabama that he was coming too. I was glad to hear that he signed with Alabama.

TI: In other interviews you mentioned how important your friendship with Andrew Zow was in your decision.

BD: Andrew is a great person. He's probably the main reason I chose Alabama. I knew him from when he played high school ball down here. On my visit to Alabama we talked a lot and stayed in touch. After talking to Andrew, I knew that I would get along with all the players and be happy there.

TI: Supposedly FSU was your early favorite.

BD: They were but they didn't recruit me as hard as Alabama did, so I eliminated them.

TI: What was your favorite play in high school?

BD: It would have to be when I hit Antonio [Carter] in my junior year. We were punting the ball. He was back deep. Right after he caught the ball I hit him so hard that it knocked his helmet off. He laid there for a second and curled up. I went over to our sideline to celebrate and his mother came up behind our bench telling me I'd better never hit her son like that again. I told her that I was just doing my job. We both laughed. On my visit to Alabama I reminded AC about it. He said that I really got him good.

TI: Will you play outside linebacker or safety at Alabama?

BD: I'm not against playing safety, but the coaches are telling me outside linebacker. I'm 195 pounds right now, but I'll put on some weight to be ready for linebacker. I'll report in at about 205. The coaches are expecting me to play early. They are telling me that it's all up to me.

TI: What are your strengths?

BD: My strength, speed and the way I use my head on the field. I can do it all. I can cover receivers, rush the passer, deliver a big hit -- whatever they want me to do I could do it.

TI: What are your goals for your career at Alabama?

BD: Winning the Butkus Award and winning two or three national championships. Then I want to be a number one draft pick.

In the last two seasons Daniels made over 200 tackles, including 32 for losses. He's a HS All-American and was chosen second team All-South by Pigskin Preps. Daniels is a member of the Hamilton County track team. He is the anchor on the 4x100-meter relay team and also runs the 200 meters. His best leg in the 4x100 is 10.9. His best 200-meter time is 22.0. Daniels says he's working out with weights daily. He expects to report to Tuscaloosa in early July.