Wrestling: Penn State adds world-class recruit in Aaron Brooks
Another blue-chip wrestling recruit, ranked among the best in the country, has selected Penn State.
A three-time state champion from North Hagerstown, Md., Aaron Brooks announced on Twitter Thursday night that he was choosing the Nittany Lions. He was also considering Arizona State, Iowa State, Maryland and Michigan. Brooks is on track to join the team for the 2019-2020 season and projects at either 174 or 184 pounds.
“Extremely excited and truly blessed to continue my academic and athletic career at Pennsylvania State University,” Brooks wrote. “Thanks to all the people who helped me get to this point in my life.”
Consensually rated as the No. 1 182-pounder in the country, Brooks holds a career high school record of 154-2. He had built a 19-0 mark halfway through his senior season at North Hagerstown before breaking his foot in the semifinal of the Hub Cup in early January.
With head coach Cael Sanderson in attendance for the event, Brooks fought through and went on to win the tournament, pinning his final opponent in 90 seconds and earning Outstanding Wrestler accolades for the second year in a row. He hasn’t competed since. A return for the Maryland state championships next month, at which Brooks would compete for a fourth consecutive crown, hasn't been counted out.
Although Brooks’ high school career is winding down to its final couple months, he won’t be joining Penn State for another year.
He plans to spend one postgrad year at the Olympic Training Center in Colorado Springs, Colo. In addition to his folkstyle pursuits, Brooks is also a world-class freestyle competitor. Three times he has won a Fargo national championship and this past September he won a Cadet World title, competing in Athens, Greece. Next, he’s eyeing a spot on the 2020 Olympic team at 74 kilograms.
He’ll use the year at the OTC to compete freestyle before moving to State College to begin NCAA competition. When he arrives on campus, he’s on pace to continue his international wrestling career with the Nittany Lion Wrestling Club as well.
In addition to an accomplished career on the mat, Penn State is also getting what his high school coach describes as a “very humble” and “unassuming kid.”
"The thing that impressed me the most was that he was matside for every kid on our team that was wrestling," North Hagerstown coach Greg Slick told the Herald-Mail after Brooks won his second-straight NHSCA National title in 2016. “He's got such a deep concern for his teammates, as well as that competitive will to win.
"He's a very special wrestler, a special athlete. The national championship is wonderful, but I'm impressed with his desire to be a good teammate. That's the cool part for me to watch — but the wrestling is pretty cool, too."
