Tahj Brooks

Brooks was selected by the Bengals in the sixth round (193rd overall) of the 2025 NFL Draft. He played in 55 games during a five-year career (2020-24) at Texas Tech University. Brooks is firmly set in the Big 12 record books: He concluded his career fourth on the Big 12 all-time rushing chart, trailing only former Bengal Cedric Benson of Texas (5,540 yards), Ricky Williams (5,273) and Darren Sproles (4,979). He also was fourth in 100-yard rushing games with 23 and second in rushing attempts, trailing Benson.

2024 (Super Senior): Put his name among Texas Tech's all-time greats as the school's all-time leading rusher during his final season in scarlet and black … saw action in 11 of 13 games, all starts, during final season … held out of the second game of the season at Washington State (9/7) due to injury … opted out of Texas Tech's appearance at the AutoZone Liberty Bowl versus Arkansas (12/27) following the regular season … rushed for 1,505 yards and 17 touchdowns in only 11 games, marking his second-consecutive season with 1,500 rushing yards … became the first Red Raider and only the third Big 12 rusher in history to record multiple 1,500-yard rushing seasons in a career … was only the 48th time an FBS player since 1956 has notched multiple 1,500-yard rushing seasons as well … his 17 rushing touchdowns were easily a career high and matched his combined total from the two previous seasons … found the end zone in 10 of 11 games overall with the lone exception being the Big 12 opener versus Arizona State … became the first power conference player since D'Onta Foreman of Texas in 2016 to rush for 1,500 yards in 11 games or less … rushed for at least 100 yards in all 11 games to set the Texas Tech single-season record … joined Boise State running back Ashton Jeanty as the only rushers in the country to hit the 100-yard mark in every game played during the season (minimum 10 games) … concluded his career by rushing for at least 95 yards over his final 22-consecutive games, the longest streak for any FBS player dating back to 1996 … rushed for at least 100 yards in 19 of those games en route to setting the Texas Tech career record for most 100-yard performances (23) … among the national leaders with 286 carries on the year at an average of 26.0 per game … received at least 20 carries in all but one game, which came early in the season in the win over North Texas where most of Texas Tech's starters were removed at halftime with a 52-7 lead … one of the best pass-catching running backs in college football with 28 receptions for 199 yards and a touchdown on the season … caught at least one pass in all but two games (North Texas and Cincinnati) and had two or more grabs in eight different contests … finished with 1,704 all-purpose yards, the most in his career … recorded at least 150 all-purpose yards in five different games, including each of his final three appearances … credited with 725 offensive snaps played by Pro Football Focus, grading out at 82.7 overall … was the second-highest snap count of his career … was Texas Tech's highest-graded offensive player by the publication for the second-consecutive season … IN THE NCAA RANKINGS: among the nation's top rushers, finishing the season ranked third in the FBS for rushing yards per game (136.8), fifth for all-purpose yards per game (154.9) and eighth for total rushing yards (1,505) … was also ninth for total all-purpose yards (1,704) and 12th in the country with 17 rushing touchdowns … carried heavy workload the entire season, ending the year ranked second nationally in rushing attempts per game (26.0) and fifth for total carries (286) … his 41 carries of 10 or more yards ranked 11th in the FBS, while his 14 carries of 20 or more yards was tied for eighth nationally … IN THE BIG 12 RANKINGS: was the Big 12 leader in rushing yards per game (136.8), averaging a full five yards more a game than both Cam Skattebo of Arizona State and RJ Harvey of UCF … ranked third in three different categories: total rushing yards, rushing touchdowns and all-purpose yards per game … led the league in rushing attempts per game and was second in total attempts, trailing only Skattebo by seven carries with two less games played … ranked third in the league for rushes of both 10 or 20 or more yards … AWARDS AND HONORS: recognized on the All-Big 12 second team by the conference coaches and Associated Press … named a semifinalist for the Doak Walker Award for a second-consecutive season … was also a semifinalist for the Earl Campbell Tyler Rose Award, which is presented to the top offensive player with ties to the state of Texas … recognized as a fourth team All-American by Phil Steele Magazine … preseason candidate for the Maxwell Award as part of its initial watch list … shared Big 12 Offensive Player of the Week honors twice during the season, starting on Oct. 7 following the win at Arizona and then again Dec. 2 following his career performance versus West Virginia … tabbed the Offensive Player of the Year for the state of Texas by Dave Campbell's Texas Football … was also part of the publication's All-Texas first team … honored by multiple organizations for his work in the classroom, namely as a first team Academic All-American by the College Sports Communicators (CSC) … became the 11th Red Raider all-time to be named an Academic All-American and the first to do so from the running back position … was the first Academic All-America selection since Patrick Mahomes II following his 2016 junior season … named the sixth National Football Foundation National Scholar-Athlete in school history as a finalist for the William V. Campbell Trophy … attended the NFF Annual Awards Dinner in Las Vegas in December as a finalist for the award dubbed the "Academic Heisman" … joined a prestigious list of fellow Red Raiders to be named a finalist, including John Scovell (1967), Keith Cockrum (1999), Kliff Kingsbury (2022), Graham Harrell (2008) and Cody Davis (2012) … POSTSEASON ALL-STAR GAMES: selected to play in the 100th East-West Shrine Game following the season, which took place Jan. 30 at AT&T Stadium in Arlington … rushed five times for 14 yards for the West squad, while also catching a team-high four passes for 21 yards off six targets … named to the West All-Practice Team by the Shrine Bowl for his performance leading up to the game, which is attended heavily by coaches and scouts from all 32 NFL teams … NFL SCOUTING COMBINE: one of four Red Raiders to receive an invite to the NFL Scouting Combine.

2023 (Senior): Put together one of the best seasons by a Red Raider running back in school history … emerged as one of the nation's top offensive weapons as part of a run-heavy scheme during Big 12 play … member of head coach Joey McGuire's captains circle of upperclassmen leaders … started in all 13 games overall at running back … recorded 290 carries for 1,538 rushing yards and 10 touchdowns on the ground, averaging 118.3 yards per game, easily a career best … became just the fifth Red Raider in program history and the first since Ricky Williams to rush for 1,500 yards in a season … joined a prestigious list of Red Raider running backs at 1,500 rushers, a group that includes two Doak Walker winners in Byron Hanspard (1996) and Byron "Bam" Morris (1993) as well as Ricky Williams (1998) and James Gray (1989) … bulk of yardage came during Big 12 play thanks to seven 100-yard performances and two games with at least 150 rushing yards … hit the 100-yard rushing mark in eight different games overall with three of those reaching 150 yards … totaled at least 90 rushing yards in all nine Big 12 contests as well as in the Radiant Technologies Independence Bowl versus Cal … averaged an impressive 130.6 rushing yards per game during league play alone as part of an expanded workload … number of carries increased to 25.7 attempts per game during Big 12 play, which was more than double his average during non-conference portion of the schedule (12.3) … joined both Williams (1998) and Hanspard (1996) as the only Red Raiders in the Big 12 era to make 250 or more rushing attempts in a season … received 20 or more carries in eight different games, all during Big 12 play or in the bowl win … recorded 30 or more attempts in four games, becoming the first Red Raider to do so since Hanspard had six such games in 1996 … the Red Raiders were 3-1 in games where he rushed 30 or more times … rushed for at least 10 yards in 37 carries and 20 yards nine different times … effective in the passing game as both a blocker and as a receiver out of the backfield with 29 receptions for 72 yards … caught at least one pass in all but one game with the exception being the non-conference finale against Tarleton State … caught 29 passes for 72 yards overall on the season … was Texas Tech's highest-graded player on either side of the ball by Pro Football Focus at 90.1 overall … credited with 785 offensive snaps, the most by a non-offensive lineman … graded at 76.5 overall as a pass blocker, an area the Texas Tech coaching staff praised the highest … was PFF's highest-graded running back in a power-five conference as a pass blocker among players who were called to protect at least 68 times on the year … led the country with 96 forced missed tackles in PFF's rankings thanks in part to three games in double digits (Kansas State, BYU and TCU) … compiled 998 of his rushing yards after contact, which equated to nearly two-thirds of his total yardage … IN THE TEXAS TECH RECORD BOOK: ended the season ranked fourth all-time in single-season history with 1,538 rushing yards … trailed only the totals of Byron Hanspard (2,084 yards in 1996), Byron Morris (1,752 yards in 1993) and Ricky Williams (1,582 yards in 1998) … only the fifth 1,500-yard rusher in program history … also ended the season tied for fourth in single-season attempts with 290 carries … trailed only the totals from Hanspard (339 in 1996), Williams (336 in 1998) and Morris (208 in 1993) … entered the career record book for both rushing yards and attempts late in the season … IN NCAA RANKINGS: closed the season ranked fourth in the FBS for both total rushing yards (1,538) and rushing yards per game (118.3) … trailed only Oklahoma State's Ollie Gordon II (1,732), Troy's Kimani Vidal (1,661) and Missouri's Cody Schrader (1,627) in total rushing yards … was 19th nationally in all-purpose yards per game, averaging 123.9 yards a contest … his 1,175 rushing yards against conference opponents was the second-highest total in the FBS behind only Gordon II … ranked second in the FBS for total rushing attempts, trailing only Vidal (297) … was the only player in the FBS to have at least four games with 30 or more rushing attempts during the season … led the FBS with 96 forced missed tackles created according to Pro Football Focus, which was 18 more than any other power-five player … publication ranked him fourth in the FBS with 998 total yards after contact … IN BIG 12 RANKINGS: was second in the league in both total rushing yards and rushing yards per game … was also fourth in all-purpose yards and per game, seventh in rushing touchdowns and 10th in total touchdowns (10) … led the league in total rushing attempts with five more than Gordon II … ranked third in the league in all-purpose yards (1,610) and was fourth in all-purpose yards per game (123.8) … was second in the league with 319 all-purpose plays … AWARDS AND HONORS: named to the All-Big 12 first team by the conference coaches and Associated Press … became the first Red Raider running back to earn first team accolades since DeAndre Washington in 2015 and the fifth to do so in the Big 12 era, joining Taurean Henderson (2005), Ricky Williams (2001) and Byron Hanspard (1996) … tabbed the Offensive Player of the Year and the top running back by Dave Campbell's Texas Football … was on the DCTF All-Texas first team … semifinalist for both the Doak Walker and Earl Campbell Tyler Rose Awards … selected to the Reese's Senior Bowl watch list prior to the season as well … recognized for his work in the classroom, tabbed to the Academic All-Big 12 first team for the third-straight year ... SENIOR DECISION: elected to utilize an extra season of eligibility to return for the 2024 season where he is expected to be among the nation's top players.

2022 (Junior): Finished as the Red Raiders' team leader in rushing yards for a second-consecutive season … formed one of the top 1-2 running back combos in the country with SaRodorick Thompson Jr. … appeared in all 13 games with six starts … earned the team rushing title by only seven yards after carrying 147 times for 691 yards and seven touchdowns … was the team leader in carries and shared the team high for rushing touchdowns with Thompson … marked only the fourth time in the Big 12 era Texas Tech has featured a pair of 600-yard rushers in the same season (2008, 2010, 2017) … received 10 or more carries in nine games overall with one 100-yard rushing performance … hit the 100-yard mark for all-purpose yards four times on the year … had 17 of his carries go for at least 10 yards with five at 20 or more yards and two for 30 yards … also on the receiving end of 26 passes for 164 yards and a touchdown … was sixth on the team for receptions and led all running backs … was Texas Tech's highest-graded offensive player, finishing at 79.0 by Pro Football Focus … credited with playing in 522 offensive plays, which trailed only Jerand Bradley and Myles Price among skill position players … IN BIG 12 RANKINGS: closed the season ranked seventh in the league for rushing yards, eighth in rushing yards per game (53.2), 10th in total touchdowns (8) and 12th for rushing touchdowns (7) … AWARDS AND HONORS: recognized for his work in the classroom as part of the Academic All-Big 12 first team.

2021 (Sophomore): Led the Red Raiders in rushing yards as a sophomore as part of a breakout season … appeared in only nine games overall with four starts … missed a four-game stretch to start Big 12 play due to injury … still managed to total 568 rushing yards and seven touchdowns on 87 carries, while also catching six passes for 58 yards out of the backfield … just edged teammate SaRodorick Thompson Jr. for the rushing title by 68 yards after Thompson led the Red Raiders the previous two seasons … key component in a Texas Tech rushing attack that ranked tied for 20th nationally in rushing touchdowns as a team … also returned one kick for 21 yards as part of Texas Tech's rotation of returnees … was second on the team for both carries and rushing touchdowns and third for scoring (42 points) … led the team in rushing yards per game (63.1), yards per rushing attempt (6.5) and had the longest rush by any Red Raider on the year (67 yards) … eclipsed the 100-yard mark three times on the season, which led the team … finished with at least 40 rushing yards in six games overall … found the end zone on the ground in five different games … received at least 10 carries in four games with two more games at nine attempts … IN NCAA RANKINGS: ranked tied for 10th nationally with four rushes of at least 40 yards … IN BIG 12 RANKINGS: was tied for fourth in the league for rushing attempts of at least 40 yards and was 11th for rushing touchdowns … AWARDS AND HONORS: recognized on the Academic All-Big 12 first team.

2020 (Freshman): An instant impact for the Red Raiders in the backfield as only a true freshman … appeared in all 10 games, totaling 255 rushing yards and four touchdowns on only 69 carries … ranked second on the team in rushing touchdowns and carries and third in rushing yards … added 13 catches for 61 yards through the air … bulk of yardage came during the back half of the Big 12 schedule … received 10 or more carries in four different games... AWARDS AND HONORS: honored on the Academic All-Big 12 Rookie Team.

High School: Attended Manor High School in Manor, Texas … four-year letterwinner for Manor's varsity football program … one of the best running backs in the state of Texas with three seasons of at least 1,000 rushing yards … rushed for 1,807 yards on 239 carries his senior year while totaling 26 total touchdowns … helped lead Manor to the state quarterfinals of the Class 5A Division I bracket … closed his prep career with more than 4,400 rushing yards and 65 total touchdowns … earned first team All-District honors as both a junior and sophomore … totaled 1,201 rushing yards and 21 touchdowns on the ground as a junior in 2018, while adding 267 receiving yards and four touchdowns off 17 receptions … became a strong presence in Manor's offense as a sophomore with 1,150 rushing yards and 10 touchdowns off 141 carries … posted 107 receiving yards and a touchdown that season off 13 catches as well … debut on the varsity came as only a freshman, posting 259 rushing yards and three touchdowns off 66 carries and 42 receiving yards off eight receptions … three-star prospect according to 247Sports, ESPN and Rivals … ranked as the No. 36 running back in the 2020 class by ESPN … listed at No. 69 among the top players in Texas according to both ESPN and Rivals.

Personal: Son of Tiffani and Kevin Brooks ... has a sister named Ceecee ... earned a bachelor's degree in sport management from Texas Tech in December 2023 ... obtained a certificate in sports communication during final season as a Red Raider.