Former UC Davis linebacker who earned his stripes as a tough, downhill defender
Travon Brooks was a 6-foot-3, 240-pound linebacker who arrived at UC Davis after earning All-Bay Valley Conference honors at Contra Costa College, where he logged 55 tackles in the 2013 season. UC Davis listed him atop the middle-linebacker depth chart in 2014, and in the 2015 season he finished with 22 total tackles, showing the kind of physical, assignment-sound profile coaches love in the middle of a defense. His edge was size, maturity, and production against the run rather than flash — the kind of steady, hard-nosed defender who can stabilize a room and bring some welcome grit.
