Brooks honored as a first team Academic All-American
January 28, 2025 | Football
Tech’s all-time leading rusher becomes the 11th Red Raider in history to be named an Academic All-American
LUBBOCK, Texas – Texas Tech senior running back Tahj Brooks was recognized for his work in the classroom Tuesday as he was named a first team Academic All-American in a vote by the College Sports Communicators (CSC).
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Brooks, who is currently preparing for the East-West Shrine Bowl, becomes the 11th Red Raider in school history to be named an Academic All-American and the first to do so from the running back position. He is Texas Tech's first Academic All-America honoree since current Kansas City Chiefs quarterback was selected following his 2016 junior season.
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Brooks was previously one of five Red Raiders to the CSC Academic All-District team that was announced a few weeks ago, the first step in the Academic All-America selection process. He was joined on the team by kicker Reese Burkhardt, offensive lineman Davion Carter, wide receiver Drew Hocutt and punter Jack Burgess. Nominees for both awards must be at least a sophomore academically and athletically and have maintained at least a 3.50 cumulative GPA, while also participating in either 90 percent of the institution's games played or started in at least 66 percent of contests.
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This is the second significant academic honor already this season for Brooks, who was invited to the National Football Foundation Annual Awards Dinner in Las Vegas this past December as a finalist for the prestigious William V. Campbell Trophy. Nicknamed the "Academic Heisman," Brooks was one of 16 finalists for the award where he became the sixth Red Raider in history to be tabbed a NFF National Scholar-Athlete.
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Brooks was also named a first team Academic All-Big 12 honoree for the fourth time in his career Monday as he was one of 22 Red Raiders recognized by the league office. Brooks maintained a 3.55 GPA as an undergraduate student at Texas Tech, earning his bachelor's in sport management in December 2023. He spent his final season as a Red Raider pursuing a certificate in sports communications.
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On the field, Brooks ended his Red Raider career as Texas Tech's all-time leading rusher this past fall after totaling 1,505 rushing yards and 17 touchdowns on the ground in only 11 games. It was the second-consecutive season Brooks finished with at least 1,500 rushing yards as he became the third Big 12 player in history and the 48th FBS player since 1956 to do so. Additionally, he was the first power conference rusher to total 1,500 rushing yards in 11 games or less since D'Onta Foreman of Texas in 2016.
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Brooks, a semifinalist for the Doak Walker Award, wrapped his career with 4,557 rushing yards, the most all-time by a Red Raider. He ranks fourth all-time in Big 12 history for career rushing yards, trailing only the Texas duo of Cedric Benson and Ricky Williams and Kansas State's Darren Sproles. Brooks also set the Texas Tech career records for 100-yard games with 23 and rushing attempts after carrying a workload of 879 over his career.
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Brooks was a consistent presence for a Texas Tech offense that concluded the 2024 season ranked fourth nationally in scoring at 37.6 points per game and ninth for total offense with 462.7 yards per game. Brooks, himself, was among the national leaders in multiple categories, ending the year ranked third with 136.8 rushing yards per game and fifth with 154.9 all-purpose yards per game. He was also eighth in the FBS for total rushing yards and 12th for rushing touchdowns despite playing in only 11 games, missing an early road trip to Washington State due to injury and then Texas Tech's appearance in the AutoZone Liberty Bowl.
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Brooks was one of only three FBS rushers and the lone player from the Big 12 Conference to combine for at least 3,000 rushing yards over the 2023-24 seasons. Over that stretch, Brooks recorded 22-consecutive games with at least 95 rushing yards, the longest streak for any FBS rusher dating back to 1996. He rushed for at least 100 yards in 19 of those games, all while ranking among the nation's top pass blockers with only three career sacks allowed in 287 pass blocking opportunities, according to Pro Football Focus.
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Brooks will wear the scarlet and black one final time Thursday night in the 100th East-West Shrine Bowl. Kickoff is slated for 7 p.m. at AT&T Stadium in Arlington with television coverage provided on NFL Network.
TEXAS TECH ACADEMIC ALL-AMERICANS IN HISTORY
Jeff Jobe (WR) – 1972
Maury Buford (P) – 1979-80
Jeff McKinney (LB) – 1980
Chuck Alexander (DB) – 1983
Tom Mathiasmeier (DE) – 1989
Robert King (P) – 1992-93
Keith Cockrum (LB) – 1999
Kliff Kingsbury (QB) – 2002
Cody Davis (DB) – 2012
Patrick Mahomes II (QB) – 2016
Tahj Brooks (RB) – 2024
