J.T. BROOKS: Playing to his strength

[PonyPride]

When SMU right tackle J.T. Brooks showed up on the Hilltop as a freshman, he weighed about 330 pounds.

Last spring, he and roommate Bryce Tennison abandoned the traditional offensive lineman's diet — eating everything that isn't bolted down — in favor of a diet built around fish, chicken and vegetables. The pounds began to slide off of Brooks's 6-foot-5-inch frame until he got down into the mid-290s for the first time since he was in high school.

Brooks shed the pounds in part to alleviate the strain on his surgically repaired knee, but he found he was more effective in 2009 when he carried more bulk on his frame. He said the 330 pounds listed on the newly released SMU roster is a high estimate; he said he weighs around 315 pounds, which is close to the weight he wants to be when games start.

"I want to play at around 310," he said. "I'm not really trying to get bigger, but I want to get stronger. This offseason is the first time I have been able to really work my legs in a while, and I have started to put a lot of mass back on, especially in my legs. I have spent the offseason working on my legs — I want to get my squat up — and I just feel a lot stronger."

Brooks's lower body might be stronger, but the improved strength is not limited to his legs.

"We tested on the bench press, with (the NFL-standard) 225 pounds, and I did 28 reps," he said. "At the start of the offseason, I did 25, and before that, I never did more than 22 or 23."

The decision to bulk back up, Brooks said, did not come down from head coach June Jones or offensive line coach Adrian Klemm. Instead, he said it was merely a matter of Brooks realizing what made him most effective.

"I realized I wasn't going to 'out-quick' people," he said. "If I was going to be effective, I was going to 'out-strength' them.

"My strength is my strength, so that's what I'm going to highlight."

[Pony4Life]

I'm really glad to read this. Brooks was at his best when he was bigger and manhandled Dontay Moch at Nevada. Get him back to 320 or so and let him start kicking tail again.