EventsVikings standout’s recruitment process kickstarted by participation in #CFCOPC
AB Lucas Vikings fullback Nathan Brooks is appreciative of the doors that opened as a result of his participation in a big spring gridiron event.
Nathan Brooks
Positions:
Fullback, Tight End, Linebacker, Defensive End
Height/Weight:
6’1, 225 lbs
Teams:
AB Lucas Vikings (high school: TVRAA)
London Jr. Mustangs (OVFL)
Forest City Thunderbirds (OFC)
Commitment:
None
Official Visits:
None
Consideration:
Open
Class:
2018
Nathan Brooks is in his first season with the junior varsity London Jr. Mustangs of the Ontario Varsity Football League (OVFL) and has two seasons under his belt with the A.B. Lucas Vikings of the Thames Valley Regional Athletic Association (TVRAA).
However, his gridiron roots go back to his days as a member of the Forest City Thunderbirds of the Ontario Football Conference (OFC), where he played for five seasons.
Nathan has received some accolades as well, winning the Thunderbirds’ Merit Award twice, receiving an All-Star Award and recently won the Leaper Award as a member of the Vikings.
Last season, it was fulfilling for Nathan when his team went deep in the playoffs.
“I would say my season highlight would be competing in the city finals, with one of my favourite teams I ever played on,” he says. “My team really improved throughout the season and we all got a lot better in the end.”
As for recruiting, he hasn’t made any official visits to schools and hasn’t committed to any schools either. However, when he played for the Football Canada Cup he met some great CIS coaches.
There have been several influential figures in Nathan’s life.
“In my life, the most influential people so far have been my parents,” Nathan says. “But in football, I would say that the most influential people have been all of my coaches, but specifically Dave Martin and coach Hayes. Dave Martin coached me when I was younger and taught me a lot in my early years. Mr. Hayes coaches me at my high school and his love for football has made me enjoy the game even more. I love my high school program and look forward to Lucas football every day, especially with Michael Hayes as a coach.”
He also plays another contact sport for his school, which is rugby, and won an MVP Award for it.
Being a self-motivated individual has worked in his favour when it comes to training.
“I lift weights and do speed and agility training,” he says. “I find I am very motivated with training and always workout every day.”
Nathan has also mapped out a training program for the summer, which entails speed and agility training in the morning and lifting weights at night every day.
His experience at this spring’s Ontario Prospect Challenge (#CFCOPC) proved to be beneficial and he thoroughly enjoyed it.
“It was a great experience and a great opportunity to get coaching from different coaches,” Nathan says. “I learned a lot and enjoyed it while I was there. I would definitely recommend it. After I played in the game, I spoke with numerous CIS recruiting coaches who asked for my contact information.”
Nathan seems focused and knows what he wants to do after high school is over.
“School-wise I plan to go to university and play football,” he says. “Career-wise I plan to become a firefighter.”
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