Holding a fourth-quarter lead in Week 1 against the Houston Cougars at NRG Stadium, Texas Tech looked to ice the game.
Sophomore running back Tahj Brooks made a quick jump cut at the line of scrimmage and exploded through the hole, racing to the endzone for a 44-yard touchdown. As he scampered for his second score of the day, ESPN announcer Mark Jones boomed over the broadcast, "It's Brooks Time again!"
"Brooks Time," better known to Texas Tech fans and soon to Bengals fans as "Tahj Time," finished with 164 yards on the ground in the win. Brooks said his signature touchdown celebration, gesturing to his wrist as if to point out the time, took on a life of its own after the 2021 victory.
"Every time I score a touchdown, you probably see me hit that or a little dance, but that's my go-to touchdown signature right there," Brooks said. "The fans loved it, still to this day they call me Tahj Time."
Brooks left his mark on Lubbock, finishing his collegiate career as the program's all-time leading rusher with 4,369 yards on the ground, ranking top five in Big-12 history. He became the third running back in conference history to tally over 1,500 yards in a season at least twice.
His illustrious career as a Red Raider nearly happened in Oklahoma: Brooks committed to the University of Tulsa and current Bengals RB coach Justin Hill his freshman year of high school. He flipped to Texas Tech, and the rest is history, but Brooks said his current position coach doesn't harbor any hard feelings for his decision.
"He was like 'Now I got you for real, you can't just go up and decommit and leave me, now you're stuck with me for a minute,'" Brooks said. "It's just something that's special, it was very surreal for me."
Hill and Brooks talked throughout the pre-draft process, and Hill put in a good word with Bengals' brass on Brooks' behalf.
Brooks tallied nearly 1,000 touches in college, carrying the ball 879 times and catching 102 passes. Despite re-writing the collegiate history books, he fell to the sixth round of the 2025 NFL draft in a loaded running back class. After being the featured guy in college, Brooks joins a Cincinnati offense loaded with talent.
"We got two or three guys on offense that are going to touch the ball a lot, and I just want to find a role and get in where I fit in," Brooks said. "Help the team win. That's my goal. Put the team first, do whatever it takes to win."
Brooks joins a room that features third-year back Chase Brown, as well as veterans Zack Moss and Samaje Perine. The rookie said he's learning different things from the backs, including route running and identifying zones from Brown and pass protection techniques from Perine.
"I take all parts of their games," Brooks said. "That's something I cherish about the vets in my room."
Learning from Perine is extra special for Brooks, as he said he grew up watching the nine-year veteran at Oklahoma. He modeled his running game after Perine, as well as backs in the mold of Saquon Barkley, Marshawn Lynch and DeAndre Swift, saying his rushing style is similar to them. From a receiving perspective, he watches Christian McCaffery and Austin Ekeler.
"[I'm] a guy that doesn't like to get tackled, a guy that's hard to bring down, that's very good and physical in the passing game," Brooks said.
Brooks' head coach at Texas Tech, Joey McGuire, says the running back was one of the best in the country on third down, specifically at picking up blitzes.
"I think that's going to be huge at the next level," McGuire said. "His game translates; I think he's going to have a long career."
McGuire also complemented Brooks' balance and vision as a rusher, echoing Brooks' self-scouting. The running back forced 154 missed tackles over his final two seasons at Texas Tech, per Pro Football Focus.
"The first guy is not going to tackle him," McGuire said. "He's one of those guys that can make you miss, but he's also physical. He runs through arm tackles."
The Red Raider head coach, who took over at Texas Tech when Brooks was a junior, knew his staff had a special talent on its hands early on.
"I expected him to be talented," McGuire said. "He was one of those guys after the first practice, I was like, 'we really have something here.'"
Growing up a Dallas Cowboys fan, McGuire said Brooks reminds him of a certain Hall of Fame running back he watched in high school.
"His ability to make people miss, his ability to catch the ball out of the backfield… He really reminds me of Emmitt Smith," McGuire said.
Brooks' work ethic off the field impressed his coaches and inspired his teammates in Lubbock. The head coach said Brooks did whatever was needed to get his body ready for the next week: Despite the heavy workload, the running back rarely missed time over his five collegiate seasons.
"He's a pro, man," McGuire said. "He was the first one in the building, he was the last one to leave… He's got a high work ethic, and he just does things right."
McGuire has known the running back since he was in high school, and he thinks of Brooks as part of his family.
"He's just an incredible person," McGuire said.
Brooks consistently gives back to the community, routinely showing up for volunteer football camps at Texas Tech and in his hometown of Manor, Texas. Brooks is hosting a camp in Manor as part of his offseason regiment on July 12, but he hopes to get involved in Cincinnati as soon as possible.
"Seeing a kid smile, that's a blessing," Brooks said. "I want to be within the Cincinnati community. I want to be a guy that's very respected."
Brooks earned the respect of Texas Tech fans and college football fans alike, and now Tahj Time is ready to show Who Dey Nation who he is.
"I'm a guy that wants to win," Brooks said. "I can't wait."
"I cherish that the most because that draft call changed my whole life," Brooks said. "I can't thank him enough."
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