As the Texas Longhorns pursue prospects from the NCAA transfer portal who could play inside or outside along the offensive line, Nick Brooks announced his plans to enter the portal on Tuesday.
The 6’7, 349-pounder has three seasons of eligibility remaining after appearing in five games for the Longhorns in 2025.
An early commitment to Iowa in the 2025 recruiting class, Brooks bounced back and force between that state and Georgia each year of high school finishing his prep career at Peach State power Grayson in Loganville. During the summer official visit period, Brooks tripped to Iowa City in addition to Texas, Georgia, and USC. The Longhorns ultimately won out for Brooks in a significant coup for position coach Kyle Flood, who has struggled to land blue-chip offensive linemen since the 2022 recruiting class. Brooks finished the 2025 cycle as a consensus four-star prospect ranked as the No. 239 player nationally and the No. 25 offensive tackle, according to the 247Sports Composite rankings.
In one season on the Forty Acres, Brooks managed a notable time of it — after enrolling early, he drew buzz during the spring for his positive developmental trajectory before a summer DWI arrest during which he told police he was taking recruits on unofficial visits to a strip club. When Texas struggled to find a starting left guard, Brooks was the third option as a true freshman used to playing outside at tackle. It went poorly, as Brooks gave up a sack and seven quarterback hurries when he was inserted at left guard after halftime in the loss to Florida. Against Kentucky, Brooks allowed three sacks and two more quarterback hurries.
So Flood benched the freshman when Cole Hutson returned from injury and moved out to left guard to allow Connor Robertson to play center, and Brooks didn’t appear again for Texas after playing 30 snaps in the comeback win over Mississippi State.
Despite the struggles for Brooks in a difficult situation, his upside for the Longhorns remained high as a potential starter at a tackle position after Trevor Goosby leaves for the 2027 NFL Draft, making Brooks’ departure a significant miss by Flood.
