Kennedy Brooks once turned Norman, Oklahoma into the site of some of his most memorable college football moments, and now he's turning it into home in a very different way. The former Oklahoma Sooners running back and his wife, Nella, co-own Rooted Cafe, a coffee shop tucked less than a mile from the University of Oklahoma campus, where the couple say they're building both a business and a life rooted in faith and community.
Brooks, who is a former OU running back, told KOKH that returning to Norman felt like coming home. Rooted Cafe sits at 1915 Classen Boulevard, Suite 125, positioned less than a mile south of the OU campus, according to the cafe's own listing. The shop wasn't always called Rooted Cafe — it previously operated as The Daily Grindz Coffee Co., before the couple rebranded it.
From Coffee Dreams to a Shop Near Campus
Nella Brooks, who previously worked as a teacher, said she wanted to return to the coffee industry and saw a location next to campus as ideal for a coffee shop, according to the station's report. She wanted to continue serving people and build connections with the Norman community, and she added that she could not run the coffee shop without Kennedy.
The couple said their purpose is to serve people and show love, and that they want customers to feel cared for and loved every time they walk through the door. Kennedy and Nella said they do not cut corners on customers, drinks, or products, and that they continue learning while building the coffee shop together. Kennedy said Rooted Cafe aims to welcome and serve everyone who comes in, and the pair described themselves as rooted in both their faith and the city of Norman itself.
According to the Office of Advocacy at the U.S. Small Business Administration, Oklahoma small businesses employed 712,582 people, or 52.4% of the private workforce, in 2016.
Expanding the Menu and the Mission
Looking ahead, Kennedy said Rooted Cafe plans to expand beyond breakfast and roll out a lunch menu, with a goal of serving as many people as possible at the Norman location. He said friends the couple has made in Norman have become like family, a detail that underscores how deeply the pair has planted themselves in the community since stepping away from the football spotlight. Kennedy and Nella have been married for one year and have two children.
Brooks brought more than name recognition to Norman's coffee scene. In addition to co-owning and operating Rooted Cafe, he works as a licensed real estate advisor with luxury brokerage The Agency in Oklahoma, giving him a second professional foothold in the city where he once carried the ball for the Sooners.
A College Career Built on Record-Setting Runs
Brooks' Oklahoma legacy is well documented. From 2018 to 2021, he accumulated 3,320 rushing yards and 31 touchdowns, placing him ninth on Oklahoma's all-time career rushing list, according to SoonerStats. He is one of only four running backs in Oklahoma Sooners program history to record three separate 1,000-yard rushing seasons, as 3DownNation reported.
His signature moment came in the 2021 Red River Showdown, when Brooks rushed for 217 yards and two fourth-quarter touchdowns, including the game-winning 33-yard score with three seconds remaining in Oklahoma's 55-48 win over Texas, per CBS News. Oklahoma had trailed by 21 points in the first half before completing one of the largest comebacks in the rivalry's history. Brooks later capped his college career.
Before Norman, Brooks built his reputation at Mansfield High School in Texas. He began his Oklahoma career in 2018, according to University of Oklahoma Athletics.
From Practice Squads to Norman for Good
Brooks went undrafted in the 2022 NFL Draft, signing with the Philadelphia Eagles as a free agent and spending that season on the team's practice squad. He later was under contract with the USFL's Philadelphia Stars and the UFL's Memphis Showboats and was released by the CFL's Saskatchewan Roughriders in May 2024, according to 3DownNation. Brooks said football taught him to keep going after mistakes, a lesson he's carried into building the coffee shop with his wife.
Looking Ahead to Kickoff
The conversation with Brooks came as the Oklahoma Sooners prepared to host the UTEP Miners in their season opener Friday in Norman. Brooks said the Sooners have a freshman running back, Xavier, and a transfer running back he's excited to watch this season. He predicted Oklahoma will beat Texas, make the playoffs, and finish 11-1 or with an undefeated season.
For now, Rooted Cafe remains the couple's daily focus — a shop they describe as a third space with a home atmosphere, built near the same campus where Kennedy Brooks made his name a few short years ago.
