Last season, Homewood-Flossmoor’s Cameron Brooks did not earn all-state, all-area or even all-conference recognition.
This summer, however, the 6-foot-3, 240-pound junior defensive end/tackle has been offered scholarships from Illinois, Kansas and Kent State. He’s on the radar of Indiana, Minnesota, Virginia Tech, Ohio and Toledo.
“It was definitely a shock the way it went from zero to 100 so fast,” Brooks said. “It’s something I had to get used to.”
H-F, which is No. 10 in the Daily Southtown’s preseason rankings, has an outstanding junior class — and Brooks is in the middle of it.
How did he get so much attention?
Using a combination of strength and finesse during a college prospect camp at Lindenwood in Missouri, Brooks to put on a show for coaches and scouts against big offensive linemen in one-on-one drills.
“One rep was like that,” he said of knocking down opponents with his strength. “And the other rep was finesse. I had a swim move for that. After three reps, they told me to sit out and talk to the coaches.”
Brooks said he had no idea his performance was going to have coaches lined up to talk to him when the camp was over.
“I was hoping to do well, but there wasn’t much to think about,” he said. “I had a lot of camps planned, and it was just another camp on the road. It was just a chance to showcase my skills.
“I was blessed to be able to take advantage of that opportunity and perform well.”
An injury forced him to miss other camps, but his statement was already made.
Despite the lack of fanfare or big stats in Brooks’ sophomore year, H-F coach Terrell Alexander knew he had a star in the making.
“His sophomore film pops,” Alexander said. “He played varsity as a sophomore, and there was a maturation process, and he handled it well.
“He was intriguing to some people during the spring. The eyeball test looked pretty dang gone good. And then he did very well at the camp.”
In between the coaches viewing him on film and seeing him dominate at Lindenwood, Brooks had a chance to meet some of the recruiters at school.
“Colleges are able to come out in the spring and they get to see a couple of kids as we walk through the hallways and strategically use our passing periods to bump into kids,” Alexander said. “We had weekly workouts with no coaching and the kids did their own drills.
“He was intriguing to them. A lot of people wanted to see him in pads and see his toughness, and he put that all together.”
Brooks said despite the personal interest colleges have shown, his mission is to turn the Vikings back into an elite power.
His older brother, Charlie, played defense for the Vikings and spent a year at Eastern Illinois.
“I’ve always been into the program,” Cameron said of H-F. “I watched a lot of games from the stands. I’ve known coach Alexander for years. It’s a great home for me.”
Another junior to watch on the defensive line for the Vikings is Jarve Bey Jr., who has offers from Miami of Ohio and Akron. He has been teaming up with Brooks for years — as far back as grade school.
“I like how physical he is,” Bey said. “He’s always been a competitor and he’s always been aggressive. He’s been like this for a very long time since I started playing with him.
“He leads by example and I’m more vocal. We have a co-leadership, and that’s great on this D-line.”
Quick Facts
Team: Homewood-Flossmoor.
2022 record: 6-4.
Offensive leaders: Emanuel Zambrano, senior, center; Jalen Cole, senior, offensive lineman; Brandon Brigham, senior, running back; Michael Terrell, junior, running back.
Defensive leaders: Jarve Bey Jr., junior, defensive tackle; Cameron Brooks, junior, defensive tackle/defensive end; Jordyn Stewart, senior, linebacker; Jovan Plaxico, senior, defensive back.
X-factor: Myles Ellis, sophomore, wide receiver/running back.
Jeff Vorva is a freelance reporter for the Daily Southtown.