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Antoine Brooks bringing swagger back to Terps defense

COLLEGE PARK, Md. -- Maryland’s defense has its swagger back.

In their second year in head coach D.J. Durkin’s defensive scheme, the Terps look more comfortable and capable on that side of the ball. Maryland has upperclassmen leading all three levels of the defense and an All-Big Ten-caliber player in Jermaine Carter Jr. leading the way.

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These are all factors that have helped the Terps defense allow just 18.5 points per game through the first two weeks of the season, while also holding both of their opponents to under 100 yards rushing, recording nine sacks, intercepting three passes and recovering one fumble.

But it’s not where Maryland’s defense is getting its swag. That’s coming from sophomore NICKEL Antoine Brooks, who Terps players and coaches raved about throughout the offseason for his playmaking ability.

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Antoine Brooks (No. 25) returned a blocked field goal for a touchdown at Texas.
Antoine Brooks (No. 25) returned a blocked field goal for a touchdown at Texas. (USA TODAY Sports)

In his first two games as a starter, Brooks has been all over the field. He has 6 tackles, a tackle for loss and an interception. He also scooped and scored a blocked field goal by Terps offensive tackle Derwin Gray against Texas.

“He’s a great player and he brings a swag to the defense,” Terps senior defensive tackle Kingsley Opara said of Brooks following Maryland’s 63-17 win over Towson Sept. 9. “Jermaine [Carter] is the leader of the defense. That’s his job, but [Brooks] is like the swag guy on the defense. I like playing with [Brooks]. He’s a great player and is going to be a great player for a long time here.”

Brooks has become a key cog in Maryland’s defense, giving Durkin and defensive coordinator Andy Buh the ability to disguise looks and adjust to formation changes the offense might make on the fly. His versatility allows him to play safety in the secondary and also come into the box as a linebacker at times.

But playing multiple roles is nothing new to Brooks, who excelled at several positions on both sides of the ball at DuVal, earning Prince George’s 4A Offensive Player of the Year in 2015 despite playing in just six games and being named First Team All-Met as a junior and Second Team All-Met as a senior.

In fact, the only thing about Brooks’ that appears more evident to his coaches and teammates than his versatility is the joy with which he plays the game.

“I remember when I was at DuVal [High School] and I saw him play in his junior year at DuVal and I was like, ‘Who’s this kid playing quarterback, safety, wide receiver, doing everything, just flying around with a big smile?’” Opara said. “He loves the game and I love playing with [Brooks]. He’s like my little brother.”

Brooks has a knack for being in the right place at the right time, He’s getting his hands on the ball a lot for a defensive player and laying some hard hits along the way. Opara beleives Brooks’ time as a signal caller in high school could be why he now reads offenses so well and always seems to be one step ahead.

“He’s got better instincts because he played the quarterback position,” Opara said. “He just knows what offenses are trying to learn and the concepts and everything. He’s a smart football player.”

Terps senior linebacker Shane Cockerille echoed Opara’s sentiment and has also been impressed with Brooks’ contributions to the defense so far.

“Antoine is a great ball player,” Cockerille said. “He can play NICKEL, he can play linebacker, help us in coverage, he can blitz. He just goes out there and has fun and plays ball. He’s still young and mistakes happen, that stuff is expected. But when he goes out there you definitely know you’re getting 110 percent effort.”

Brooks’ role in the Terps defense might look familiar to some college football fans. It is similar to that of Jabrill Peppers’ when Durkin was the defensive coordinator at Michigan. It’s called the NICKEL by Durkin but it’s not your typical nickelback that you see covering slot receivers for most teams. Brooks’ position is a hybrid that generally replaces the strong-side linebacker with a larger, physically imposing defensive back in the nickel defense, which the Terps run the majority of the time.

The Lanham, Md., native is quickly adapting to his responsibilities on defense, and has already received high praise from his head coach, who knows how important a player like Brooks is to the success of his defensive scheme.

“I just love Antoine,” Durkin said. “He plays with personality. He’s out there and throws his body around, plays hard, he’s physical, he can cover, he can do a lot of things. So he has found a nice home at that NICKEL position for us. And I think he’ll only continue to get better.”

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