Former South Carolina football wide receiver Jalen Brooks had an interesting road to the NFL.
Virtually unrecruited out of Hickory Ridge High School in Harrisburg, North Carolina, Brooks enrolled at Division-II Wingate College in the fall of 2018. Even at Wingate, Brooks was undervalued. He became a full-time starter as a sophomore in 2019 and compiled over 750 yards and six touchdowns.
The success led him to transfer to new Division-I FCS school Tarleton State at the start of 2020. However, due to the Covid-19 pandemic, Brooks’ new team was considering not playing in 2020. He was looking for another new opportunity, and the South Carolina football staff under Will Muschamp took a chance on him.