Brinkley made a successful recovery from 2007 knee surgery, returning to the dominant force he displayed for the Gamecocks when he and his twin brother, Casper, joined the program in January 2006. To say that South Carolina missed him in 2007 would be an understatement, as the Gamecocks struggled considerably without their leader in the middle of the field.

Without Brinkley's services for the last eight games of the 2007 campaign, the defense finished 56 in the nation, yielding 378.08 yards per game and missed the postseason bowl action. With their middle linebacker leading the way, the Gamecocks improved dramatically in 2008, as they finished 13th in the nation in total defense, allowing only 291.92 yards per game and finished second in pass defense (159.23 ypg).

The Brinkley twins terrorized opponents during their days at Thomson High School. Jasper garnered All-Area and All-State first-team honors as a junior and senior. To improve their academic standing, both enrolled at Georgia Military College upon high graduation. Jasper captured team MVP honors as a freshman and sophomore, going on to be named an All-American second team choice while playing middle linebacker in 2005.

The brothers enrolled at South Carolina in time to participate in 2006 spring drills. Casper took over one defensive end spot while Jasper became an instant hit at middle linebacker. He earned All-Southeastern Conference honors while leading the team with 107 tackles, including 85 solo hits (79% of his total). He finished third on the squad with five sacks and led the squad with 14.5 stops behind the line of scrimmage, ranking sixth in the conference with an average of 1.08 tackles for loss per game.

Brinkley was the only Gamecock to be listed on the All-SEC preseason team in 2007. He was also on the Bronko Nagurski Trophy, Butkus Award and Lombardi Award Watch Lists. He totaled 21 tackles (15 solos) with a pair of interceptions, but suffered a right knee anterior ligament tear vs. Louisiana State, undergoing surgery and bringing his season to an end with eight games left on the schedule.

With his brother, Casper, having signed with the Carolina Panthers as a free agent, Jasper returned to South Carolina in 2008. He was named All-SEC second-team and returned to his familiar middle linebacker role. He ranked third on the squad with 65 tackles (42 solos), including 2.5 sacks and five stops behind the line of scrimmage. He also caused a pair of fumbles and had his third interception for his Gamecocks' career.

GENERAL REPORT: GRADE: 6.16

Body Structure: Brinkley has a muscular frame with good chest development, big arms, tight waist, tapered back, thick thighs and calves and room to add at least another 10 pounds of bulk. He has smaller than ideal hands for a player his size, but shows good arm length to stave off reach blocks.

Athletic Ability: Brinkley is more of a 3-4 inside linebacker than the classic 4-3 type. He plays with functional strength, doing a decent job of stuffing and clogging the dive hole, but despite his powerful frame, he lacks the hand punch to get off blocks quickly. He is just not consistent in shedding when attempting to make the play. He shows better strength to fight through the playing side pin blocks. He works to the line with square shoulders. He has above average linear speed and good flexibility for his position. He shows good lateral agility and acceleration working in the short area. He can redirect quickly, but needs to play in control, as he will overrun plays. Despite his muscular frame, he is not stiff or rigid in his lateral moves. GRADE: 6.5

Football Sense: Brinkley is adequate student and shows just marginal mental alertness. He lacks the instinctive feel to flow to the ball and shows poor angling when trying to close on outside runs. He takes too many false steps dropping back in pass coverage and needs to be in a simply scheme, as he struggles with the mental aspect of the game and will be exposed playing vs. a complicated offense. He does not always read and react quickly to the play, especially when trying to break down line keys. He needs reps to retain, and does not transfer from the board to the field well. When he gets a clear lane, he can locate the ball, but loses sight when working in traffic, causing him to get washed out in the flow of the play. GRADE: 5.0

Character: Brinkley displays good personal character. He has a quiet personality and has no known off-field issues. 2008 was his first season playing organized football without his twin brother, Casper, and he seemed to have been a bit lost on the field early in that season. GRADE: 6.3

Competitiveness: Brinkley is a tough competitor with a high motor. He plays and prepares with the same solid work ethic, but has problems grasping the mental aspect of the game, at times. He is the type that will play with pain, showing little regard for his own safety as he recklessly hurls his body around to make the play. He chases opponents with great urgency and works hard to make the impact tackles at the line of scrimmage. GRADE: 6.5

Work Habits: Brinkley displays solid football character. He is called the team's hardest worker on and off the field, but does lack great mental awareness on the field. He is a quiet, leader by example type, but can get vocal in the huddle. He also takes well to hard coaching. He is a player that sets the tone for his teammates in the weight room, practices and games. He is considered an overachiever who works hard in every phase of his game to improve. He is an avid weight lifter, but sometimes that strength does not translate to the field. He has confidence in his ability and shows that football is very important to him. GRADE: 6.5

ATHLETIC REPORT: GRADE: 5.74

Key and Diagnostic Skills: Brinkley is capable of reading the triangle, but will get too focused on it and lose sight of the ball, especially on misdirection. He is adequate at reading keys, but a bit of a liability making calls and adjustments, as he will struggle to grasp a complicated playbook. He looks lost and sluggish dropping back in the zone and lacks the burst to recover when a receiver gets behind him. He lacks some discipline and will overrun the ball carrier at times when he gets too aggressive, causing for missed tackles. He is good at locating the ball when working inside the box, but needs to do a better job of getting a jump on things when working in space. GRADE: 5.2

Playing Strength and Explosion: Brinkley has the functional strength needed to stuff and clog the rush lanes, but has problems with his hand placement in attempts to get off blocks, as he lacks consistency trying to shed and make the play. Even though he has good speed, he lacks some explosion on contact. His weight room strength does not always translate to the field, as he does not use his arms actively to prevent blockers from pushing him around. He has a good motor and is determined to get to the ball, but he needs to play with better control. While he has good power, he makes too many arm tackles to provide a good thud on contact. He is best playing in a system that will cover him up and let him roam free because of play recognition limitations. GRADE: 6.0

Lateral Pursuit/Range: Brinkley shows good effort working down the line. He slips and avoids blocks with good leverage on the ball, but will give some up to get around larger blockers. He gets good leverage working inside the box, but no so when taking on isolated blockers. He has good quickness and lateral movement skills, but he will sometimes take extra steps in his change of direction, causing him to gather himself. When he gets a clean read, he is quick to flow to the ball. He has the speed to chase down ball carriers on the corners, but he will get a little out of control and overrun the play. He also needs to use his hands better to sift through trash. GRADE: 6.7

Use of Hands: Brinkley's biggest weakness is his marginal hand usage trying to shed blocks, especially when playing in the box or vs. isolated blockers. He lacks good placement when riding the hip of tight ends in the passing game. He also needs to learn how to use his hands better to ward off low blocks. While he is strong, he will struggle to stack and shed when he does not extend his hands properly. He lacks the good reach to prevent being warded off working around the pile. He is not asked to cover the tight end much, but on those occasions he does a marginal job in getting hand placement. His hands appear too small for him to lock on and steer. His small hands also pose a problem in attempts to intercept the ball, as he is more of a body catcher than one that will reach and pluck for the pigskin. GRADE: 5.0

Tackling Ability: Brinkley is an adequate tackler inside the box. He is a decent face-up striker when he gets a clean shot working in the phone booth, but otherwise he will catch for attempts to wrap up and take down the ball carrier. In space, he lacks the ability to drop his weight to deliver a controlled and balanced strike. He overextends when trying to recover and takes poor angles when chasing down the play. Even with his weight room strength, he is not a forceful tackler, as he doesn't bring his feet and explode into the ball carrier on contact. He has to rely more on his wrapping skills. When he makes arm tackles or tries to drag the opponent down, he allows the ball carrier to fall forward as he fails to stack or hold ground firmly. GRADE: 6.2

Run Defense: Brinkley works with his shoulders squared when taking on inside runs. He stays low in his pads to stuff the lead blocker in the rush lane. He has some flash to slip and avoid in attempts to arrive and collide with the ball carrier at the point of attack. He has the functional strength to fight through the playing side pin when chasing down outside running plays, but needs to do a better job of angling to arrive quicker. He needs to be more active with his hands, as he has trouble shedding and can get washed out of the play. He makes most of his plays in the backfield due to his quickness, as he explodes through the rush lanes. But then, he gets reckless and will get moved off the point of attack. He does a much better job in the box than on outside runs, as he does not always read the flow of the play well, but has the range to get to the sideline. GRADE: 6.2

Pass Defense: Brinkley gets adequate depth in his pass drops, but even with good lateral agility his hips appear a bit tight, as he gets too tall in his backpedal. He drops back with just adequate awareness and gets caught up eyeballing misdirection and play-action too much. He is just not fluid enough turning out of his breaks to cover receivers outside the short area. He just looks a bit tight and shows only adequate flexibility through transition. His big problems happen when he has to cover runners coming out of the backfield, as he does not seem to be able to mirror the back on crossing patterns. Unless he can showed marked improvement in this area, along with better zone coverage skills, he will be relegated to two-down duty. GRADE: 5.1

Zone Defense: Brinkley is much better defending vs. the run than the pass. He is just too apprehensive in the zone and fails to locate the receiver on the switch-off. His range is just too limited to be effective here. He struggles to settle in the zone and react to the ball in flight. His lack of awareness certainly does not help, but he is simply not the type that can consistently get to the right spot in his drop point. GRADE: 4.9

Pass Rush and Blitz: Brinkley is more of a bull rusher type, as he can slip and avoid or simply overpower blockers when he stays low in his pads. He rarely loses a battle at the point of attack when he keeps his hands active and his weight down. Still, he needs to be in a system that covers him up and allows him to run free. He spends too much time running into and combating blockers, lacking avoidance skills to get a clear lane into the backfield. He won't get bounced around on the inside blitz, as blockers struggle to latch on to him when he stays low in his pads. GRADE: 6.4

Compares To: CARLOS POLK, Dallas -- Like Polk, Brinkley's pass coverage deficiencies will leave him performing as a two-down linebacker at the next level. He gives good effort on the field, but is best served in a 3-4 alignment where he would not have to handle making calls, as he has just an adequate mental grasp for those duties. He plays much better in the box than when giving chase, as he does a good job of keeping his shoulders square and exploding through the holes. There are just too many holes in his game (mental aspect, pass coverage) for a team to get excited over him.

OVERALL GRADE: 5.81

--Report by Dave-Te' Thomas

Brinkley started 29 of 30 games at South Carolina, recording 193 tackles (142 solos) with 7.5 sacks for minus 42 yards, 20.5 stops for losses of 65 yards and five pressures … Batted down five passes, intercepted three others for 40 yards in returns and caused two fumbles … His 85 solo tackles in 2006 rank second in school history, topped by Jonathan Martin (93 in 2002) … His 14.5 stops behind the line of scrimmage in 2006 placed him fourth on the school single-season record list behind Eric Norwood (19.5 in 2007), Rickey Hagood (16.0 in 1983) and Andrew Provence (15.0 in 1982).

Brinkley captured All-Southeastern Conference second-team honors … Started all but the Florida game at middle linebacker, ranking third on the team with 65 tackles (42 solos) … Had 2.5 sacks for minus 20 yards, five stops for losses totaling 24 yards and three QB pressures … Caused two fumbles and picked off a pass … Helped the Gamecocks rank fourth in the SEC and 13th in the nation in total defense (291.92) and lead the conference while finishing second in the NCAA ranks with an average of 159.23 yards allowed passing.

North Carolina State … Brinkley contributed two solo tackles to the Gamecocks' 34-0 shutout victory over N.C. State … Brinkley's tackles came on back-to-back plays to start the second quarter, when the linebacker limited Wolfpack tailback Andre to 1 yard on rush to the N.C. State 46-yard line and tackled Owen Spencer after the wide receiver gained 4 yards on a pass reception from quarterback Daniel Evans … Rush Coverage Assignment: HB#24-Andre Brown (6:00-228)-21 carries for 101 yards, 1 kickoff return for 13 yards.

Vanderbilt … Brinkley posted one tackle and quarterback pressure in the Gamecocks' 24-17 loss to SEC East rival Vanderbilt … The middle linebacker's sole tackle of the game occurred early in the first quarter, when he tackled Vandy's D.J. Moore after the cornerback returned a punt 18 yards to the Commodores' 37-yard line … With less than five minutes remaining in the first quarter, on 3rd-&-5 from the Vandy 25-yard line, Brinkley pressure Commodore quarterback Chris Nickson into misfiring on a pass intended for wideout Justin Wheeler, forcing Vandy to punt … Later in the first quarter, Brinkley broke up a pass from Nickson to Wheeler but the play was nullified by a Vandy holding penalty … Rush Coverage Assignment: HB#31-Jared Hawkins (5:10-202)-17 carries for 84 yards and one touchdown.

Georgia … Brinkley had his first notable performance of 2008, posting seven tackles (5 solos), including two tackles for losses, and an 8-yard sack in South Carolina's hard-fought 14-7 loss to the Bulldogs … "Anytime you get a loss, no matter how hard you played, it's tough. You still don't feel like you did enough. We knew they were going to play smashmouth football and we were ready for it," said Brinkley after the game … With just seconds remaining in the first half, Brinkley stopped Georgia quarterback Matthew Stafford for no gain on 3rd-&-goal from the USC 6-yard line, forcing the Bulldogs to settle for a 23-yard field goal as time expired … On Georgia's first drive of the second half, Brinkley tackled running back Caleb King for a loss of 2 yards … Midway through the fourth quarter, Stafford was sacked for an 8-yard loss by Brinkley on 3rd-&-10 from the UGA 20-yard line, forcing UGA to punt the ball away … With less than two minutes remaining in the game, Georgia tailback Knowshon Moreno was tackled for no gain by Brinkley on 3rd-&-2 from the Bulldog's 40-yard line, forcing Georgia to punt … Rush Coverage Assignment: HB#24-Knowshon Moreno (5:11-205)-20 carries for 79 yards and one touchdown, two catches for 13 yards, one punt return for 32 yards.

Wofford … The South Carolina middle linebacker contributed five tackles (2 solos) to the Game-cocks' 23-13 victory over FCS opponent Wofford … On Wofford's first offensive series of the game, on 3rd-&-1 from the Terriers' 38-yard line, Brinkley allowed fullback Dane Romero to pick up 3 yards and a first down before making the tackle … Early in the fourth quarter, Romero broke off an 11-yard run on 1st-&-10 before Brinkley and a teammate could wrap up the fullback … Rush Coverage Assignment: FB#18-Dane Romero (6:01-218)-17 carries for 75 yards, one catch for 1 yard.

Alabama-Birmingham … Brinkley posted one solo tackle in the Gamecocks' 26-13 win over UAB, a game in which the South Carolina defense allowed just 67 rushing yards to the Blazer offense … Near the end of the third quarter, Brinkley limited Rashaud Slaughter to 1 yard after the wide receiver hauled in a pass from UAB quarterback Joe Webb, but a holding penalty by USC's Carlos Thomas nullified the play … At the 12:50 mark in the fourth quarter, Brinkley tackled Joe Webb after the signal-caller picked up 2 yards to the UAB 31-yard line on a rushing attempt … Rush Coverage Assignment: HB#30-Justin Brooks (5:11-215)-Seven carries for 15 yards.

Mississippi … Brinkley had on of his finest performances of the 2008 season, recording eight tackles (5 solos), including one tackle for loss, in the Gamecocks' 31-24 win over Ole Miss … On the Rebels' first offensive series of the game, Brinkley limited tailback Cordera Eason to 3 yards on a first-down rush to the USC 25-yard line … At the 6:46 mark in the first quarter, Ole Miss quarterback Jevan Snead completed a pass to wide receiver Dexter McCluster, who gained 29 yards and a first down before Brinkley and a teammate could wrestle him down … Early in the second quarter, Brinkley stopped Cordera Eason and Dexter McCluster for no gain on back-to-back rushing plays from the Rebels' 35-yard line … With just second remaining in the third quarter, Ole Miss tailback Brandon Bolden rushed for 14 yards and a first down before Brinkley and a teammate wrapped him up at midfield. Later in the drive, Brinkley tackled Bolden for a 1-yard loss at the USC 39-yard line … Rush Coverage Assignment: HB#25-Cordera Eason (5:10-224)-10 carries for 29 yards and one touchdown.

Kentucky … Following his eight-tackle performance vs. Ole Miss, Brinkley duplicated his output against Kentucky, contributing a team-high eight tackles (5 solos) to the South Carolina defense, which limited Kentucky to just 62 rushing yards and 218 yards overall in USC's 24-17 victory over the Wildcats … Near the end of the first quarter, on 2nd-&-6 from the Kentucky 24-yard line, Wildcat quarterback Mike Hartline completed a wide receiver Eric Adeyemi, who was tackled after only a 1-yard gain, a play that preceded USC free safety Chris Culliver's interception of a Hartline pass at the Kentucky 42-yard line … Near the end of the second quarter, Kentucky tailback Randall Cobb caught a pass from Hartline, but was tackled for no gain at the USC 37-yard line by Brinkley and a teammate … At the 10:34 mark in the third quarter, Cobb hauled in a Hartline pass and picked up 13 yards and a first down before Brinkley wrapped him up at the USC 33-yard line … Rush Coverage Assignment: HB#20-Derrick Locke (5:09-180)-15 carries for 51 yards, eight catches for 57 yards, two kickoff returns for 36 yards.

Louisiana State … Brinkley had a relatively quiet night vs. LSU, recording four tackles (3 solos) in South Carolina's 24-17 home loss to the Tigers … Three of Brinkley's four tackles occurred on 1st-&-10 plays that resulted in the ball carrier rushing for 3 yards … With less than five minutes remaining in the game, on 2nd-&-goal from the USC 5-yard line, LSU running back Keiland Williams picked up 3 yards on a pass reception from quarterback Jarrett Lee before Brinkley could make the tackle … Rush Coverage Assignment: HB#32-Charles Scott (5:11-232)-16 carries for 61 yards and two touchdowns.

Tennessee … The middle linebacker posted three tackles (2 solos), 0.5 sack, and one QB pressure to the South Carolina defense, which limited Tennessee to just 34 rushing yards and 207 yards of total offense in the Gamecocks' 27-6 victory over the Vols … Midway through the first quarter, Tennessee quarterback Nick Stephens was sacked by Brinkley and fellow linebacker Eric Norwood for a 7-yard loss … Near the end of the third quarter, Brinkley was flagged for pass interference when he attempted to break up a pass from Stephens to tailback Arian Foster, moving the ball to the USC 4-yard line and giving the Vols a first down … At the start of the fourth quarter, Brinkley put pressure on Stephens, forcing the Vols' quarterback to throw incomplete to wide receiver Gerald Jones … Rush Coverage Assignment: HB#27-Arian Foster (6:01-215)-14 carries for 56 yards and one touchdown, three catches for 33 yards.

Arkansas … The Arkansas offense managed only 54 rushing yards against South Carolina's stingy defense, which received two tackles (1 solo) and a quarterback pressure from Brinkley in the Gamecocks' 34-21 win over the Razorbacks … On the last play of the first quarter, Brinkley stopped Arkansas tailback Michael Smith after a 1-yard rush to the Razorback 14-yard line … Early in the third stanza, Brinkley put good pressure on Arkansas signal-caller Casey Dick, forcing the quarterback to misfire on a pass attempt to wide receiver Joe Adams. The plays was negated, however, due to a holding call on Arkansas' Wade Grayson … With less than four minutes left in the game, Brinkley pressure Razorback quarterback Nathan Dick into throwing incomplete at the USC 25-yard line … Rush Coverage Assignment: HB#6-Brandon Barnett (5:07-209)-Seven carries for 45 yards and one touchdown.

Florida … No. 3 Florida absolutely shredded the South Carolina defense, which yielded 519 total yards, including 346 rushing yards, to the Gator offense in the Gamecocks' 56-6 loss to their SEC rival … Brinkley finished the contest with four solo tackles and one forced fumble … Early in the first quarter, Florida's Percy Harvin gained 22 yards and a first down on a reverse before the wide receiver was wrapped up by Brinkley at the USC 42-yard line. Two plays later, Brinkley tackled Florida's Jeffrey Demps after a 1-yard rush, causing the tailback to fumble the ball, which was recovered by USC's Darian Stewart near midfield … With 3:43 left in the first quarter, on 1st-&-goal from the USC 1-yard line, Florida quarterback Tim Tebow was stuffed for no gain by Brinkley on a rush over left guard … At the start of the second quarter, Tebow was stopped for no gain by Brinkley on a rushing attempt from the USC 22-yard line, but the play was nullified by an offside penalty by USC … Later in the second quarter, Brinkley stopped tailback Jeffrey Demps after a 1-yard rush, but the play was negated by Florida's illegal-formation penalty … Rush Coverage Assignment: HB#2-Jeffery Demps (5:08-183)-Four carries for 43 yards and one touchdown, two catches for 5 yards.

Clemson … Despite one of the middle linebacker's best performances of 2008-nine tackles (2 solos), one sack, and one forced fumble-South Carolina's defense yielded 383 yards of offense to Clemson in the Gamecocks' 31-14 loss to their intrastate foes … Early in the second quarter, Brinkley limited Clemson tailback C.J. Spiller to 1 yard on a rushing attempt … On the first play of a drive that started at the 2:12 mark in the second quarter, Brinkley sacked Clemson quarterback Cullen Harper for an 8-yard loss at the Tigers' 33-yard line, causing the signal-caller to fumble the ball, which was recovered by Gamecock defensive end Travian Robertson, setting up USC quarterback Chris Smelley's 16-yard touchdown pass to fullback Patrick DiMarco … With less than four minutes remaining in the third quarter, on 1st-&-goal from the USC 1-yard line, Brinkley stuffed Clemson tailback James Davis for a 1-yard loss … During the opening minutes of the fourth quarter, Brinkley and a teammate stopped C.J. Spiller for no gain near midfield and, later in the drive, the USC linebacker limited James Davis to a 3-yard rush to the USC 12-yard line … With 4:25 remaining in the game, James Davis was stopped for a 2-yard gain by Brinkley on 2nd-&-8 from the Clemson 9-yard line … Rush Coverage Assignement-HB#1-James Davis (5:11-215)-24 carries for 91 yards and three touchdowns, two catches for 17 yards.

Iowa (Outback Bowl) … South Carolina middle linebacker and game captain Jasper Brinkley recorded a season-high eleven tackles (10 solos) and added one interception, his only pickoff of the season, in the Gamecocks' 31-10 loss to Iowa in the Outback Bowl … On the game's first play, Brinkley tackled Iowa tailback Shonn Greene after a 1-yard gain to the Hawkeyes' 36-yard line … Later in the first quarter, Brinkley allowed Greene to gain 5 yards and a first down to the USC 4-yard line on a rushing attempt … Early in the second quarter, the USC linebacker limited Iowa fullback Brett Morse to a 4-yard gain on a pass reception from quarterback Ricky Stanzi. One play later, Shonn Greene rushed for 8 yards and a first down before Brinkley was able bring him down at the Iowa 32-yard line. Later in the drive, Greene was able to break off runs of 9 and 3 yards deep in USC territory before Brinkley could corral him … With 1:01 remaining before halftime, Brinkley intercepted Ricky Stanzi at the USC 33-yard line … Early in the third quarter, on 2nd-&-goal from the USC 1-yard line, Shonn Greene was stuffed for no gain by Brinkley … With 5:00 left in the third quarter, after limiting Greene to 4 yards on a rushing attempt, Brinkley was penalized 15 yards for a personal foul, giving Iowa a first down at the USC 47-yard line … Rush Coverage Assignment: HB#23-Shonn Greene (5:11-235)-29 carries for 121 yards and three touch-downs.

Brinkley was the only Gamecock named preseason first-team All-SEC by both the league's coaches and the media … Named to the preseason watch lists for the Bronko Nagurski Trophy, Lombardi Award, Butkus Award and for the Walter Camp Player of the Year Award … Finished the season with 21 tackles (15 solos), including a stop for a 4-yard loss and a pass deflection, while also intercepting two passes for 40 yards in returns in four games … Suffered a right knee ligament tear vs. Louisiana State, undergoing surgery that would force him to sit out the team's final eight contests.

Opened the season with eight tackles (7 solos), including one that stopped tailback Tyrell Fenroy for a 4-yard loss vs. Louisiana-Lafayette, playing in that game with a sprained left ankles … Picked off a Matthew Stafford pass and returned it 30 yards in the fourth quarter to seal a 16-12 decision over Georgia, as the middle linebacker also made six tackles (5 solos) … Followed with a pass deflection, a 10-yard interception return and four tackles vs. South Carolina State … Posted three solo tackles before injuring his right knee in the Louisiana State clash … Registered at least ten tackles in four games, including three of his final four contests.

Named SEC Newcomer of the Year and All-SEC first-team by The NFL Draft Report …

Arrived in Columbia in January and went through spring drills, starting all thirteen games at middle linebacker … Led the Gamecocks with 107 tackles, as his 85 solo hits rank second on the school season-record list behind Jonathan Martin (93 in 2002) … His 14.5 stops behind the line of scrimmage for losses totaling 37 yards rank fourth on South Carolina's annual record chart, topped by Eric Norwood (19.5 in 2007), Rickey Hagood (16.0 in 1983) and Andrew Provence (15.0 in 1982) … Added five sacks for minus 22 yards and a pair of quarterback pressures … Also deflected four passes.

Brinkley made his South Carolina debut an explosive one, coming up with a 3-yard sack, 1.5 stops behind the line of scrimmage and eleven tackles (8 solos) vs. Mississippi State …

Added eight hits (7 solos) vs. Wofford and was in on nine tackles (7 solos), including a stop for a 2-yard loss vs. Auburn … Assisted on a sack of QB Andre' Woodson, broke up one pass and delivered seven tackles (6 solos) in a 24-17 decision over Kentucky … Added six solo tackles, including one that took down tailback Arian Foster behind the line of scrimmage vs. Tennessee … Registered seven hits (6 solos) vs. Arkansas and had a season-high thirteen tackles (11 solos), a 7-yard sack and two stops behind the line of scrimmage in a tough 17-16 loss to Florida … Posted nine tackles (8 solos) that included 1.5 stops for loss vs. Middle Tennessee State … Collected ten tackles (5 solos) and 1.5 sacks in the Clemson contest … Closed out his first year as a Gamecocks with eleven tackles (8 solos), a 4-yard sack and two stops for minus 5 yards in a 44-36 decision over Houston in the Liberty Bowl.

2004-05 SEASONS

Brinkley attended Georgia Military College (Milledgeville, Ga.), playing football for head coach Bert Williams … The middle linebacker earned second-team All-American honors in 2005 and was a two-time team Most Valuable Player (2004-05).

2007: Played in the season opener vs. Louisiana-Lafayette (9/01) with a left ankle sprain … Suffered a right knee anterior cruciate tear vs. Louisiana State (9/22), undergoing surgery Sept. 26 that would sideline him for the final eight games of the season.

Combine: 4.67 in the 40-yard dash … 1.55 10-yard dash … 2.63 20-yard dash … 4.32 20-yard shuttle … 7.03 three-cone drill … 35.5-inch vertical jump … 9'6" broad jump … Bench pressed 225 pounds 26 times … 33-inch arm length … 9 1/4-inch hands.

Attended Georgia Military College in Milledgeville, Ga. where he was coached by Bert Williams … Was a preseason first-team All-America linebacker who earned second-team post-season All-America accolades … Recognized as the team's MVP both as a freshman and sophomore … Came from the same program that produced current USC teammate Brandon Isaac.

Attended Thomson (Ga.) High School, playing football for head coach Luther Welch … Earned first-team All-Area and All-State honors as a junior and senior.

African-American Studies major … Twin brother, Casper, was a defensive end at South Carolina (2006-07) and teammate before signing a free agent contract with the Carolina Panthers in 2008 … Born Jasper Jerrell Brinkley on 7/12/85 … Resides in Thomson, Georgia.