Pickens High School running back Shannon Brooks visited Georgia Tech on Friday and received a scholarship offer from the Yellow Jackets coaching staff. Brooks recently spoke with FYN and said that the only caveat to signing with Tech left for him to oversee is passing the ACT.“I’ve always wanted to stay close to home and have a great fallback plan if I don’t go pro,” said Brooks. “My first visit was [on Friday] and when I went there and toured the campus I felt at home. It was a great time.”

Brooks, who measures 5’11” and 196 lbs. and has a 4.56 40-yard dash time, had an excellent junior season for the Pickens Dragons in 2013, rushing for 1,696 yards (9th in the state of Georgia) with 16 touchdowns as well as 326 receiving yards along with 4 receiving touchdowns. Brooks was voted as the AAAA Offensive Player of the Year and earned an Honorable Mention spot for Georgia’s All-State squad.

“I committed this early because I know there is no college with a better combination of education and football than Georgia Tech,” Brooks explained.

Brooks holds several records at PHS despite only having three seasons under his belt, including rushing yards in a season, receiving yards in a game, and rushing touchdowns in a season (tied with Fred Anderson with 20).

“Shannon runs hard, is relentless, and has a great burst,” said Pickens head coach Chris Parker. “He will be good in any offense. I am very happy for him and his family.”

Brooks has big plans for his final season with the Dragons, both for himself and his teammates. “I want to help my team and coaches as much as I can,” Brooks stated. “I want to be a leader, make the others around me better, and make it to state.”