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Can Tahj Brooks take next step, become feature back in 2022?

Two games into last season, I was convinced Texas Tech was going to produce its first 1,000-yard rusher since DeAndre Washington in 2015.

Tahj Brooks, a sophomore from Manor, eviscerated Houston and SFA for 237 yards and four touchdowns to the tune of 9.1 yards per carry in the opening two games of the 2021 season. I knew those numbers weren’t exactly sustainable over the course of a Big 12 schedule, but his breakaway speed, tough running, and elite vision made him a viable candidate to cross that elusive 1,000-yard threshold.

Injuries and the return of SaRodorick Thompson hampered Brooks’s playing time, and while he still finished the season as Tech’s leading rusher, he never became the feature, clear-cut No.