Rooks attended Woodlawn High School in Baltimore County, Maryland, where he played football.
[1] Rooks first chose to attend the College of the Canyons in Santa Clarita, California to play football there, but transferred after one year.
[2] He then played football at Navarro College in Corsicana, Texas, where he helped lead them to a national championship and a top-five ranking.
[3][4][5] After his time at Kansas State, Rooks was selected with the 202nd pick in the 6th round of the 2014 NFL draft by the New Orleans Saints.
[6][7] However, Rooks did not make the active roster and was instead signed to the Saints' practice squad for most of the 2014 season.