Wisconsin added a late piece to its 2022 recruiting class just hours before the February signing period.
Chris Brooks Jr., a senior from University High School in Missouri, flipped his commitment from Yale to Wisconsin on Monday. The three-star wide receiver is set to become the 15th scholarship signee for the Badgers on Wednesday.
"The main thing for me when I committed was the degree and the people at Yale, but I found the same thing when I met the coaches and the academic directors at Wisconsin," Brooks Jr. told BadgerBlitz.com. "Wisconsin is a really great school academically - that turned it for me and they really impressed me there. They showed me the combination of academics and athletics was better.
"At the end of the day, Wisconsin and Yale speak for themselves and they are both great schools."
Brooks, 6-foot-3 and 210 pounds, took his official visit to Wisconsin this past weekend. Position coach Alvis Whitted served as the primary contact for the Badgers in his recruitment.
"It went great and I had a lot of fun up there," Brooks. Jr. said. "I met some great people and ate some great, great food. My favorite thing was just the town and just how beautiful everything was right when I got in from the airport. I loved the snow and everything looked beautiful. All the people were so nice, and that was my first impression of Wisconsin - great town with great people. I got to meet some of the players and they seem like really great people and guys I can look up to and learn from.
"I love Coach Whitted and I think he's amazing. He stressed how useful I can be in their offense and how I can create matchup nightmares across the board, both on the inside and the outside at receiver. It goes without saying, but he talked about special teams and he thinks I can help there as well."
The son of former NFL wide receiver and Nebraska standout Chris Brooks Sr., Brooks Jr. delivered the good news to Whitted and head coach Paul Chryst on Monday.
"I called Coach Whitted and he's fired up and excited," Brooks Jr. said. "He's extremely happy that I'm coming. When he saw my film before they offered in the winter, he told the coaches that we have to go get this guy, and he was happy that everything worked out this weekend. I also called Coach Chryst - he's a real funny guy. I really like him and he said that he was fired up even though he seems like a real calm guy. They seem really excited about it.
"It took a lot of stress off my shoulders. I'm really excited because it's a school that I've always wanted to go to and it's an amazing feeling."
Brooks Jr., who caught 49 passes for 959 yards and 21 touchdowns as senior, committed to Yale in July over offers from Ball State, Brown, Buffalo, Columbia, Illinois State, Northern Colorado and Pennsylvania. He was a Class 6 first-team all-state pick in Missouri this past fall.
In the 2022 class, Brooks Jr. joins a receiver group that currently includes Tommy McIntosh and Vinny Anthony, as well as preferred walk-ons Grady O'Neill and Cole Toennies.
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