George Rooks

Class:
Sophomore
Position:
DL
Height:
6-5
Weight:
278
Hometown:
Jersey City, N.J.
High School:
St. Peter's Prep

Signed on February 3, 2021

CAREER HIGHS

• Tackles: 1 - vs. Nebraska (Nov. 12, 2022)
• Solos: 1 - vs. Nebraska (Nov. 12, 2022)
• Asst: none
• TFLs: none
• Sacks: none
• Int: none
• FR: none
• PBUs: none

At Michigan
• Academic All-Big Ten honoree (2022)
• Named the Defensive Scout Team Player of the Year (2021)
• Appeared in nine games in his career; recorded one tackle and one fumble recovery
• One-year letterman (2021)

Sophomore (2022)
• Appeared in six games along the defensive line and on special teams; made one tackle and recovered a fumble
• Played along the defensive front against Colorado State (Sept. 3)
• Contributed along the defensive interior against Hawaii (Sept. 10), at Rutgers (Nov. 5)
• Pounced on a loose fumble, his first career recovery, while playing on the interior against UConn (Sept. 17)
• Notched a solo tackle playing along the defensive interior against Nebraska (Nov. 12)
• Played along the defensive line and on special teams against Purdue in the Big Ten Championship (Dec. 3)

Freshman (2021)
• Appeared in three games playing on special teams and along the defensive line to earn his first varsity letter
• Named the Defensive Scout Team Player of the Year (2021)
• Named Scout Team Defensive Player of the Week for his role in helping the offense prepare for Western Michigan
• Made his U-M debut playing along the defensive line against Western Michigan (Sept. 4)
• Contributed along the defensive line against Northern Illinois (Sept. 18)
• Contributed on special teams against Iowa in the Big Ten Championship Game (Dec. 4)

Prep
• Attended St. Peters Prep (2021) coached by Rich Hansen
• Helped St. Peters Prep to an 11-1 record and the New Jersey Non-Public Group 4 championship as a junior
• St. Peter’s was NJ.com’s Team of the Year in New Jersey (2019)

Key Statistics
• Posted 40 tackles for loss in 160 stops over his final three years of high school, including 22.0 of those tackles coming as sacks
• Accumulated 41 tackles, 15 tackles for loss, 8.0 sacks and one pass breakup as a senior
• Recorded 71 tackles, 15 TFLs, 9.5 sacks, three PBUs and two fumble recoveries as a junior
• Compiled 48 tackles, 10 tackles for loss and 4.5 sacks and one pass breakup during his sophomore year

Honors and Rankings
• Earned a 247Sports Composite ranking of four stars; the No. 260 overall player nationally, the No. 18 defensive tackle prospect in the country and the No. 4 player in the state of New Jersey
• Named a three-star prospect by 247Sports; the No. 28 defensive tackle nationally and the No. 6 prospect in the state of New Jersey
• Member of the ESPN300; rated as 208th overall player in the country, the No. 22 defensive tackle in the country and the No. 2 prospect in the state of New Jersey
• Rivals.com four-star prospect; nation’s 225th-ranked recruit, the No. 13 defensive tackle in the country and the No. 5 player in New Jersey
• Rated as the states second-best prospect on the NJ.com Top 50 list
• Three-time all-conference selection (sophomore, junior and senior seasons)
• Selected to participate in the Under Armour All-American Game

Personal
• George Rooks was born Sept. 4, 2002
• Son of George Rooks and Talayia Brooks
• Father was a defensive lineman at Syracuse (1988-91) and was the 1991 Big East Co-Defensive Player of the Year; drafted by the New York Giants
• Sister, Taylor, played the 2018-19 season as a graduate transfer on the women’s basketball team at Michigan
• Taylor was two-time Gatorade Player of the Year in New Jersey; played at Stanford and Harvard before her final year at Michigan