James Brooks leaves Sun Devils

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Arizona State defensive end James Brooks, a senior two-year starter, has left the team for personal reasons, according to a school spokesperson.

Brooks had 25 tackles, 7.5 tackles for a loss and four sacks last year. He was expected to team with Jamaar Jarrett and Junior Onyeali to give the Sun Devils, the preseason favorites in the Pac-12 South, one of the best threesomes at defensive end in the conference.

Brooks, who is , 6-foot-5, 279 pounds, blocked two extra points in the Sun Devils double-overtime win over Arizona last year. He also missed practices due to academic issues and was suspended for three games in 2009 for violating team rules.

"James has done a lot of great things for our football program," Arizona State coach Dennis Erickson said in a statement released by the school. "We will continue to help him in any way we can."

Brooks is the fourth projected starter the Sun Devils have lost since the end of the 2010 season. In spring practices, first-team All-Pac-10 cornerback Omar Bolden and receiver T.J. Simpson suffered knee injuries. Quarterback Steven Threet also was forced to retire due to multiple concussions.

Ted Miller is the Pac-12 blogger for ESPN.com.

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• ESPN.com Pac-12 blogger
• Covered college football since 1997
• Wrote for Seattle Post-Intelligencer