This Sentell’s Intel rep on Georgia football recruiting has the latest with 4-star priority target Khamari Brooks at North Oconee in Bogart. He ranks as the nation’s No. 14 EDGE and the No. 112 overall prospect for 2026 on the 247Sports Composite. The On3 Industry Ranking has him as the No. 17 EDGE and No. 115 overall.
BOGART, Ga. -- There are ties that still matter on the recruiting trail. That certainly was the case moments ago with the commitment made by 4-star EDGE Khamari Brooks at North Oconee High School.
The 6-foot-4, 230-pound EDGE chose Georgia over Alabama after forging a relationship from the double-digit trips he’s taken to the UGA facility over his years as a priority recruit.
It takes Brooks maybe 15 minutes to traverse the span of those six stop lights.
Those weren’t the only ties here forged by the newest Bulldog commitment. Freshman receiver Landon Roldan, one of his closest friends growing up, was a former teammate at North Oconee. He helped host him on his official visit.
There are also serious family ties.
His step-grandfather, Charles “CJ” Junior, was a receiver on Georgia’s 1980 national championship team, but that gentleman is not even the most famous “DGD” in the family.
That honor would go to his great-uncle Horace King. King was an athletics pioneer in the SEC as one of the “First Five” black players at Georgia.
There’s a connection with all-time UGA great David Pollack which will be explained in detail down the page. Georgia assistant coach Chidera Uzo-Diribe deserves a big slap on the back for his relentless daily pursuit of Brooks on the recruiting trail.
This decision with both programs came down to the relationships with his potential position coach at both SEC powers. Uzo-Diribe did his job and then some. The same can be said for Alabama assistant coach Christian Robinson.
While interviewing Brooks over the last few months, it was clear no recruiter in America has built a stronger relationship than the one Uzo-Diribe did with Brooks.
We also have to harken back to a nice touch that happened to Brooks while on his official visit earlier this month at UGA.
If we’re being honest, we’ve never seen an official visit pic quite like it before. Especially one that includes so many core members of the current team posing with a potential signee on a June official visit.
Brooks said it was his favorite photo out of the hundreds of images that were captured of him on his OV to Georgia.
“My favorite [picture] was the one with all the players,” he said. “It stands out because it shows the togetherness and the brotherhood of the football team.”
“Just showing love to the recruits.”
The photo of that moment appears below.
Brooks now becomes the 19th commitment of the 2026 class in Athens. He’s the first EDGE prospect to commit to the Bulldogs, and he brings along a championship pedigree.
He’s been a vital player on the hardwood for North Oconee’s back-to-back GHSA Class 4A state basketball teams. He was also a two-way spark for the Titans in their state football championship team from last December.
DawgNation had rated Brooks as the No. 1 remaining top target for the 2026 class for Georgia on its weekly “Before the Hedges” recruiting show.
What is Georgia getting in Khamari Brooks?
That’s a novel question. How ‘bout a team captain type? Maybe a future coach on the field? Future ALL-SEC player? What about a game wrecker on defense?
That’s no stretch. That’s what he did in the GHSA Class 4A state championship game against a very good Marist team.
Brooks took over the 4A state title game against Marist. He tallied 8 tackles, 2.5 TFLs, and one sack. He also had 52 receiving yards and caught a touchdown.
The story behind that game should go down as a legend in North Oconee High School football history.
It is his coach’s favorite story about Brooks.
“It was the day of the state championship game and knowing how good of a player that he is,” North Oconee football coach Tyler Aurandt said. “We get to where we are going to walk through and eat pregame dinner and he comes up to me.”
Brooks told him the following:
“I just want to tell you what I told everybody on the bus that ”They are going to see a different Khamari tonight.’"
“I looked at him and my eyes got kind of big,” Aurandt said. “I said ‘What do you mean by that because you’re pretty good. Are you saying that you don’t know you are going to play very well?”
“And he goes ‘Oh no Coach, I’m going to play at a whole another level. Like you are going to see me play so much differently and so much better than you’ve seen me play’ and I’m like ‘Oh, man, this is not going to be easy to attain because you’re so good already’ and sure enough we go out there and he’s making play after play and just the passion and the energy that he played with that night is something that I’ll never forget.”
“That is a kid who is already super talented can make that statement and then elevate his game even more to help give his team an opportunity to win. That one will stick with me for a long long time.”
Khamari Brooks: The David Pollack story
The 4-star also proved to be an impact offensive weapon for his team. He caught 31 passes for 569 yards and nine touchdowns on offense, but that’s not what he’s going to play in the SEC for.
The 6-foot-4, 225-pounder had 131 tackles, 17 TFLs and 13 sacks. Brooks forced two fumbles, recovered two more, picked off a pass, and added two more scores on defense.
There are all of those things and more. According to Georgia legend David Pollack, he’s about as savvy a football player as it comes. Pollack first noticed Brooks in youth ball and now coaches him with the Titans of North Oconee.
It all comes back to a beautiful football mind. The former Georgia great had the chance to assess it when Brooks was approximately eight years old, playing youth football.
“Let’s start with the good,” Pollack said. “No, better yet, so, how I got Khamari to North Oconee is he was in third grade, and we played against him.” I’ll start with the great. Khamari is one of the most brilliant people I’ve ever been around. Khamari is brilliant. So, how I got Khamari to North Oconee is he was in third grade, and we played against him.”
“We had wristbands for every play. Khamari figured out our wristbands by the second half and was in the third grade. Where the ball was going. What it was. I was like he was the biggest and strongest kid on the field, too. He was the best player by far.”,
Brooks was playing for a local Athens YMCA team at the time.
“I was like ‘Crap’ and it blew my mind,” Pollack said. “That was incredible. So it starts with brilliance. He’s just unbelievably brilliant. He’s got elite hands. He’s got really good hands and a feel for people. He’s never in a hurry. He’s got really good feel for the game. Instincts. Unbelievable presence and calm in the storm. Never gets sped up. He plays at his pace, and so he’s definitely got some really cool gifts.”
The 4-star EDGE remembers that day. One of his best childhood friends was playing for Pollack’s team.
“You know, in Little League, there aren’t that many plays that you could possibly run,” Brooks told DawgNation earlier this year. “So you’re able to pick up on those things and just like know where the ball was going. It was in the back of my head for a long time. I think I remember we were on defense, and they ran like a QB read one play, and I remember I called it out, and I knew where the play was going.”
Check out the junior film for Brooks below:
Have you seen this week’s “Before the Hedges” weekly recruiting special on YouTube yet? Check it out below
SENTELL’S INTEL
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