Ahmad Brooks was rated by many as the best linebacker in the country two years ago when he was finishing up at C.D. Hylton High School in Woodbridge, Virginia. Back then, Brooks was rated a five-star recruit and the #1 player in Virginia in one of the best recruiting years the state has seen in over a decade.

Brooks committed to UVa late in the recruiting year, but was unable to attend UVa that next fall because he failed to meet his SAT requirement. So, instead of sliding into another school that might be a little more forgiving, Brooks elected to stick with his commitment to the Hoos and attend Hargrave Military Academy while he worked to improve his SAT score.

Brooks achieved the necessary scores and entered UVa in the spring of 2003, just in time to start participating with the football team and get ready for the season.

During Virginia’s spring game, there weren’t many Wahoo fans that did not recognize #34. If they didn’t know who he was prior to the game, they most certainly knew the name Ahmad Brooks by the time it was over. Brooks was a one-man wrecking crew, racking up numerous tackles in his freshman debut. Fans cheered loudly every time Brooks made a play. Arguably the nation’s best high school football player had come to Virginia, and fans came away knowing that this young man was definitely worth the hype.

“It feels great to get the cheers,” Ahmad Brooks said that day. “It makes me feel like a superstar already. I really wasn’t expecting that. But when the guys told me everyone was cheering, that got me excited. I just wanted to come out here and have a good day, and I think I did that. If I had to give myself a grade, I think it’d be a B. Maybe a B+.”

Brooks earned his starting position in only the second week of fall training camp this year. He’s started every game this season at middle linebacker and has been impressive thus far, racking up 36 tackles (18 solo) with four of them tackles for loss. Brooks is also credited with two sacks, three pass breakups and seven quarterback hurries.

If the last five games are any indication of what’s to come for Ahmad Brooks , Virginia fans are going to have a lot more to cheer for over the years.

Note: The following interview was conducted prior to UVa’s contest with UNC.

Sabre Edge: Has much of an adjustment has it been on the field from high school to college?

Brooks: The game speed is pretty fast because everyone [at this level] is bigger and faster. I’ve adjusted to it and gotten the feel for the game. It came easy to me once I learned my plays, because now everything on the field seems slower.

Sabre Edge: Four games into the season [at the time of this interview], how much of the defense have you grasped and how much further do you need to go to get where you want to be?

Brooks: I’ve learned a lot. There are a lot more things I need to know. But right now I’m on time, I’m on schedule with everything. Week by week we learn different things. I learn everything I need to know the week of the game.

Sabre Edge: How are you grading out at your position this year?

Brooks: This first week I did all right. The second game was the lowest grade my position coach ever gave me. The last game I did all right. Against Wake Forest was the highest grade I got this year. I’m doing good, I’m just working on improving my all around game.

Sabre Edge: Describe your feelings about having to go to Hargrave for a semester before attending UVa.

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