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Will Brooks doesn’t hesitate when asked about his favorite memory from playing football at Tennessee. It’s probably the moment Vol fans remember him for the most as well.
“Alabama in ’24,” Brooks told I-81 Sports. “For me personally, getting that interception.”
Brooks, who arrived in Knoxville as a preferred walk-on from, coincidentally, Alabama (Birmingham, to be precise), refers to his pick to cement the Vols’ victory over the Crimson Tide in Knoxville that season. Brooks started every game for the Vols at safety that year, but contributed in either defense or special teams throughout his career at Tennessee.
We caught up with Brooks last month when he came to Kingsport to help at Charlie Browder‘s football camp during Fun Fest. Browder and Brooks are longtime friends and roomed together in Knoxville for multiple years.
Brooks has traded his pads and helmet for a job in the financial world. He works as an analyst for First Horizon Bank in Knoxville, which doesn’t leave much time to go hang out in his old stomping grounds. Every athlete faces that day when their competitive career comes to an end, but the adjustment had to be a jarring one: from the roar of the crowd of more than 100,000 screaming fans at Neyland Stadium to the quiet of a desk and an office.
“I go around every now and again,” he said. “I’m honestly more removed now; I don’t know as many people on the team anymore. That’s definitely kind of strange.”
Brooks’ time at Tennessee included the coaching change in 2021 that brought Josh Heupel to Knoxville. Brooks had high praise for Heupel, who is going into his sixth season leading the program.
“Obviously he came in at a hard time in Tennessee’s history but he did a great job kind of building the culture and recruiting the right guys to come in,” Brooks said.
“Everyone on the team loves him. He really does a great job.”
Brooks’ final year in Knoxville, 2024, was not only his first as a full-time starter but also when the Vols reached the College Football Playoff. That season certainly didn’t end the way players and fans hoped, but it produced plenty of good memories. For Brooks, those recollections include a pick-6 interception to beat NC State. All told, he finished with four interceptions in 2024, and his 59 tackles ranked second on the team.
“That was obviously a really fun year,” Brooks said. “A really good team. The guys on the team were really great and I really enjoyed being a part of that. Obviously it was tough losing to Ohio State like that. The year as a whole, overall, was super fun and successful. We all really enjoyed being around each other.”
The Rocky Top
We’ve got something special coming to the Tri-Cities later this month… the I-81 Sports Rocky Top Preview: a special print magazine that contains your complete roadmap to the 2026 Vols. This commemorative issue includes my interview with Jayson Swain, breakdowns of each of Tennessee’s 12 games, and an exclusive “way way too early” preview of SEC men’s basketball by veteran college hoops writer Chris Dortch. You will only be able to find this SEC Insider column in the magazine; it will not be posted here on the site.
Oh, and we’re making this magazine available absolutely free to the community.
We’ll keep you posted on when this magazine will be available, and at what locations, later this month.