Alabama hoping to turn the Tide on the Brockermeyer twins
A top prospect in the state of Texas comes with a lot of pressure. A last name like Brockermeyer comes with expectations for your future.
The University of Alabama is one of a handful of schools hoping to flip the script on the Brockermeyer to Texas pipeline which started when Tommy and James' grandfather, Kay, was an offensive tackle for the Longhorns in 1959 under head coach Darrell Royal.
It continued when their father, Blake, signed with Texas in 1991, becoming an All-American and NFL first round draft pick in 1994. Their mother, Kristy, also attended school in Austin, and brother, Luke, will enter his redshirt sophomore season this fall for Coach Tom Herman.
All signs from an outsider's perspective point the two Brockermeyers following in the family tradition and staying in-state. They may decide to build their own legacy outside of the Lone Star State. BamaInsider.com had an in-depth conversation with Blake, Tommy and James Brockermeyer about the recruiting journey, how they are managing the recruiting process during the COVID-19 pandemic, pressure on staying home and their serious interest in Alabama which many believe has the best chance to steer the twins away from Texas.
Tommy and James Brockermeyer are two of the most heavily recruited offensive linemen in the country. Tommy, a 6-foot-6, 285-pound tackle, is No. 10 overall in the Rivals100 and the No. 2 offensive lineman in the country. James, stands 6-foot-3, 273-pounds, is the No. 3 ranked center in the country. Their father, Blake, stood 6-foot-4, 300-pounds, was one of the top three offensive linemen in the country during this senior year at Arlington Heights High School in Fort Worth (same high school as former Alabama five-star defensive lineman, A'Shawn Robinson).
"It's a whole different recruiting world now," Blake Brockermeyer said. "You couldn't verify anything back then. Kids could just say they were 6-8, and then you see them and they are 6-2. Everything is so different now. My dad used to send VHS tapes of my games every week.
"Nobody was committing early back then. Everyone took their visits after their senior season. There weren't any Junior Days. I used to tell myself if I didn't play well I would lose my scholarship. I had a lot of opportunities, but I had to keep getting better.
"One bad play would ruin my chances to play college football. I kind of fooled myself into thinking that. I kept that edge throughout my whole career, in college and the NFL. Your film is your resume. It was just a totally different era. The recruiting world today is a complete 180."
The former Longhorn strongly considered leaving Texas to play college football. The top schools on his list: Florida State and Washington. Both were heavyweight programs at the time. Brockermeyer could tell there was a bright future at both schools. He was right as the Huskies won the national championship in 1991 and the Seminoles did the same in 1993.
He admits the more he visited out-of-state programs, the more he wanted to stay closer to home. It just didn't have the Texas-home feel to him. Tennessee was the only school he considered in the SEC. Brockermeyer ultimately chose to follow in his father's footsteps. Seattle was just a little too far from home, and he didn't want his parents to fly to see him play each week. His parents were not too interested in him going to Florida State.
Recruiting was much different back in the early ‘90s Brockermeyer remembers receiving constant phone calls from college coaches. Mobile Christian head coach Ronnie Cottrell was Brockermeyer's lead recruiter from Florida State. Brockermeyer will not forget talking to Coach Cottrell almost daily for two years. Coach Cottrell certainly hoped he would have pulled him to Tallahassee.
"Even as a high school player, Blake was very mature," said Coach Ronnie Cottrell. "He was very advanced. You just knew he was going to be an outstanding college player. You knew he was going to be a pro.
""I loved him personally as we had a great relationship. I thought we were going to be able to get him, but in the end he stayed home. He came from a great family and was an outstanding student. He was putting someone in the ground just about every play. He was just a great football player and great person."
Blake went on to become a two-time All-Southwest Conference selection and First Team All-American during his career at Texas. He started all 34 games of his career and did not give up a sack in his final 16 games. He entered the 1995 NFL Draft after his junior season and was selected No. 29 overall in the first round by the Carolina Panthers. He ended his nine year NFL career with 103 starts at left tackle in 136 games. He started at left tackle for the Carolina Panthers (1995-1998), the Chicago Bears (1999-2001) and ended his final two years with the Denver Broncos.
He was inducted into the Sun Bowl Hall of Fame, and also the University of Texas Hall of Honor in 2015. Blake worked as a strength coach for 12 years at All Saints Episcopal School in Fort Worth where his children attend/attended. He is now on the SMU coaching staff as a defensive quality control coach. He sees so many changes from when he was a high school football All-American and All-State selection to what the recruiting landscape is today.
"One of the biggest differences is social media," he said. "Twitter is a real big deal obviously. It's easier to communicate. There are so many camps and Junior Days were you can verify everything. You get your height, weight, hand size and wingspan. I didn't do anything like that when I was going through it. You have the Rivals Camps, Opening and Under Armour camps. We did all of those last year. I didn't have the option to do it in high school.
"I think kids today are better coached. There is more information, more training, more personal coaches and more technology available to them. Kids today are a lot better than they used to be. My kids are 1,000x more advanced than I was at this age. I didn't have much coaching at all. I would watch college football, watch how the offensive linemen blocked and try to just figure it out on my own."
He wants his sons to decide whatever is the best option for their future. Their father can explain things and tell them what to look for when visiting schools, spending time with the coaches and forming relationships with players. They need to be happy with their college choice and feel comfortable for the next three-to-five years. Winning is also an important aspect of it all.
"There is nothing more miserable than doing all that work, putting in all the effort and losing every week," their father said. "Winning, getting a good education and being around guys you connect with is very important."
The pressure to join the Texas Longhorn football program is greater than most top prospects in their home state. Their father understands the pressure. He faced it during his senior season from being a legacy and a top in-state prospect.
"I feel like there is always going to be pressure," Brockermeyer said. "I know I felt it, and I'm sure they felt it a lot earlier than I did. My second oldest son, Luke, is also playing football there. I think people just expect it to happen. I think they expect it less now than they did a year ago. The Texas I went to, and the Texas now, is completely different. It's still a great school and great program.
"They are going to have to decide what is best for them. Everyone is different. A lot of schools haven't even tried to recruit them because they assume they are going to Texas. Schools we would have been interested in. I think the benefit of that it has made a competition for just a handful of schools. It has really benefited some, especially Alabama."
The entire world has been flipped upside down with the COVID-19 virus. Spring games have been cancelled throughout the country. Recruiting visits are on-hold and there isn't a clear indication just yet as to when life will return to normal. James and Tommy are in a unique situation whereas they can take two official visits to their top five programs. James was scheduled to take an official visit to Alabama on April 3-5. His family would have joined with him including Tommy. Tommy can take an official visit to Alabama, along with other schools, down the road (including James).
"No one really knows what's going to happen," their father said. "I am just assuming spring football is going to get cancelled around the country. The recruiting calendar will probably move back some. It's just a complete guess on my part as to what's going to happen. Whenever it's safe to travel and go places again we will head back to Tuscaloosa. We are bummed about missing that official visit on April 3. It would have been a very beneficial trip.
"We were also scheduled to visit LSU in May which probably isn't going to happen. We were also planning on taking trips to Texas and Auburn. I know we were also coming back to Alabama at the end of June. I have no idea what's going to happen. We'll definitely be back at Alabama at some point. We just don't know if this whole situation will change things as far as trimming the list down."
Tommy Brockermeyer, who is rated a five-star, according to Rivals, missed his entire junior season after having surgery to repair his labrum in his right shoulder. He is back to 100-percent. He is going through weight-lifting, training and film study during this time away from his high school.
"It's basically just online school," Tommy said. "It basically just feels like a lot of homework, but you have the whole day to do it."
He hears from his top schools schools daily including Alabama, Auburn, LSU and Texas. Clemson is also in regular communication. He said all the schools are just trying to speak to him as often as possible to maintain a strong relationship despite not allowed to see the coaches in-person this spring.
"My approach to it is just to take it day-by-day and just see what's going to happen," he said. "Maybe it gets better in a month, but we really don't know. It’s best just to take it day-by-day. The original plan was to take all of our visits and then make a decision. I don't know with everything going on what's gong to happen, but I assume everything will get pushed back."
Alabama has been fortunate to get the Brockermeyers on campus twice which was last summer and for Junior Day earlier this year. A strong relationship with the Crimson Tide coaching staff has put Alabama in strong position with the elite lineman. He also recently spoke with Nick Saban on the phone.
"My relationship with Coach Flood and the other coaches is very good," Brockermeyer said. "Every time I go there it's more like a business atmosphere, but you have a family-type feel. I talked to Coach Saban a couple days ago. I feel great when I talk to him. He is a very good recruiter. He knows what he is talking about.
"I haven’t met or talked to the new strength coaches yet. Coach Saban told me all about them. He said they are doing an amazing job. He said they have really a blessing in disguise. He talks a lot of good things about them."
So what stands out to him regarding the SEC powerhouse?
"However long I've been alive all I've heard about in college football is Alabama, Alabama, Alabama," he said. "They are just so elite. They win championships every other year. They produce NFL athletes left and right. They know how to develop their players and know how to get them to succeed. They know how to turn them into great young men."
Tommy and James have intentions of playing college football together. The four schools currently expected to receive official visits are Alabama, Auburn, LSU and Texas. James Brockermeyer continues to improve his stock after a very strong junior season and added good weight during the off-season.
""Work-outs are going good," James said. "You get in what you can get in. You have to find a way to get better. I'm still working on getting always stronger. Tommy and I are doing a lot of O-line drills with my dad. We are working on mental stuff—watching film and talking about technique.”
The interior lineman has also been in daily communication with Alabama, Auburn, LSU and Texas. He speaks often to Alabama offensive line coach Kyle Flood and developed a good relationship.
"I've been talking to Coach Flood, Coach Saban and Coach Scott," he said. "We are just trying to stay in contact throughout all of this. We were supposed to go visit in April, and now it's not happening. Just trying to maintain our relationship through phone calls and FaceTime.
"I am really high on Coach Flood. I've talked to some of his players. They all said they have learned so much more from him than any line coach they've ever had. He's the real deal, and we know that."
Brockermeyer says the tradition, winning, NFL pedigree, strength program and academics are all important in his decision. He sees Alabama offering those exact things.
"What stands out to me is the tradition," the four-star lineman said. "All the winning they have done since Coach Saban has arrived really stands out to me. Everything there is just through the roof with first round draft picks, championships and sending a ton of players to the NFL."
The recruiting visits and decision are on-hold for now. It will resume at some point. The twins will expect to enroll at the school of their choice in January, most likely together. Will they go against the grain and surprise the schools who decided not recruit them because they assumed were locks to Texas.
"I definitely feel a lot of pressure," Tommy Brockermeyer said. "Just because of my family and the history there. A lot of people in my town and school love Texas. You hear it a lot. There is definitely a lot of pressure to go there, but you have to do what is best for you."
Andrew Bone, of BamaInsider.com, is also a real estate broker in the state of Alabama.
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