Photos by Tim Sanger/NDSU Athletics
By Sam Herder
Recruiting is the lifeblood of any program. The Bison football team is no exception with its melting pot of talent that arrives in Fargo from across America. It’s this fusion of skill and personality that makes the NDSU football locker room as attractive as any in the country for aspiring Division I football players from Florida, California and everywhere in between. Eight current members of the Bison tell their stories of how they landed in Fargo and one future Bison explains his reasoning behind picking the Herd.
Ty Brooks
Recruiting Coordinator: Randy Hedberg
Year: Junior
Position: Running Back
Hometown: Fargo, N.D.
High School: Fargo South High School
Interest Pool
- North Dakota
- Hawaii
- Coastal Carolina
Deciding Factor
“The offer helped. Once I got offered, there was no other decision for me. I knew where I wanted to go.”
Recruiting Process
Ty Brooks knew all he needed was an offer and he was going to be a Bison. He was so convinced it was the spot for him that the Fargo South graduate didn’t even respond when Hawaii reached out and said they wanted him as a preferred walk-on. Coastal Carolina contacted him late, too. But he had already made his commitment to NDSU. He also had an offer from the University of North Dakota, which was eventually dropped.
“UND offered me, but as soon as I got the NDSU offer, they took their offer away,” Brooks said. “I knew where I wanted to go and they probably did, too.”
Brooks first began receiving interest from NDSU during his junior season. Before that, he was always attending Bison football camps during the summer. Brooks said he was emailing the former coaching staff under Craig Bohl “like crazy,” and mentioned it was his goal to stick out so they knew who he was.
Once the offer came, he was fully on board.
“People on the team are always like, ‘You’re from North Dakota?,’” Brooks laughed. “But who wouldn’t want to stay home and play for a national championship team? If you can stay at home around family and friends and continue winning, why wouldn’t you do that?”
The Visit
“It was during the winter and it was the weekend. We stayed at the Holiday Inn. I mean, I could have stayed at home, but you take a free hotel visit anytime. We went to a basketball game and then I hung out with the team.”
What’s Changed
Brooks started his NDSU career as a defensive back. In the spring of 2016, he was switched to running back.
“I just want to go on the record that I was the best corner we’ve had here [laughs]. No, but I was at corner, but was also playing scout team offense. So I wasn’t really learning much at corner and was more of a running back in practice. I always thought I was more of an offensive player. Things happened that spring and I got switched and I felt like it was a perfect fit.
