Nobody predicted Josh Adams to have a record-breaking debut season in South Bend. But after the two-deep depth chart was plundered before halftime of the season opener, the Pennsylvania native stepped in and turned in one of the most surprising performance of 2015.
Now for an encore. With Tarean Folston back and C.J. Prosise gone, Adams has a similar opportunity in front of him. He also has a year of football under his belt. With his blend of size, speed and power, Adams could serve as the unheralded leading man of a young and talented Irish team intent on surprising people this fall.
Let’s kick off our annual Irish A-to-Z series with a playmaker who could make take a big step forward after a record-setting freshman campaign.
JOSH ADAMS
6'1.5", 219 lbs.
Sophomore, No. 33, RB
RECRUITING PROFILE
Still managed a four-star ranking by 247Sports’s composite, impressive considering he missed his junior season while recovering from an ACL injury. He returned as a 4A All-State running back, with a 1,600-yard bounce back season that ended after 10 games with an ankle sprain.
Adams had offers from Penn State, Pitt, Rutgers and Stanford (though never visited Palo Alto). But he picked Notre Dame in late June, with the Irish showing faith in his recovery from injury and being immediately rewarded for it last fall.
PLAYING CAREER
Freshman Season (2015): Led Irish running backs with a 7.1 yards-per-carry average, running for a school record 835 yards from scrimmage, breaking Darius Walker’s 2004 record. His 98-yard touchdown run against Wake Forest set a Notre Dame Stadium record. Broke 100 yards against UMass, Wake Forest, Pitt and Stanford. Averaged 5.6 yards per carry against Ohio State, scoring his sixth touchdown of the season.
WHAT WE SAID LAST YEAR
Who saw what happened last year coming? Not me. But the snaps were there for the young backs and Adams responded.
(Needless to say, Adams isn’t becoming a safety any time soon—especially as the Irish rebuild the running back depth chart with Adams as the potential star.)There doesn’t seem to be any snaps for a young ball carrier on this roster, unless one of these guys does something mighty special during fall camp. And while the Irish staff feels like they found a special football player in Adams, there’s no hurry to get him on the field.
While Tony Alford was the one who recruited Adams, it’s worth noting that it’ll be Autry Denson who’ll develop him. And Denson’s career at Notre Dame, not to mention his DNA as a player who maxed out his ability, will serve Adams well, especially as the lesser heralded prospect of the two backs in the 2015 recruiting class.
By all reports, Adams fits the bill of an “RKG.” Here’s what his coach Tom Hetrick said after Signing Day.
“This is a special day because Josh is a special kind of kid,” Hetrick said. “He always does the right thing. He’s a great ambassador for our program.”
With the depth chart at running back a veteran group, that mental makeup will pay dividends if it takes a few years to see the field. But with size and speed, Adams could find his way onto the field via special teams, and sure shares the profile of a safety if we’re looking at position switch candidates.
FUTURE POTENTIAL
Sky high. Adams has all the ingredients you want to see in a prolific back, including opportunity. While Tarean Folston might return to the starting lineup, Adams’ ability to hit the home run, as well as be powerful on the interior, is too much to ignore.
One quote that’s striking to me still stands out from Brian Kelly’s Signing Day press conference. And it’s more apparent now than ever before.
“He has not played a lot of football,” Kelly said. “With the speed that he possesses, we think he can be whatever he wants to be. We can’t wait to develop him.”
So far, so good.
CRYSTAL BALL
Pencil me in for a ho-hum 1,000 yard season and 10 touchdowns. And that’s assuming that Tarean Folston has a nice year and Dexter Williams finds a role in this offense as well.
Of course, Adams has to stay healthy, and if we’ve seen anything these past few years, it’s that one Notre Dame running back is going to get bitten by the injury bug. But with a full calendar year in the strength program, and maturity and confidence that position coach Autry Denson praised this spring, Adams is going to be one of the faces of the offense this season, especially as the Irish look for answers in the passing game to replace Will Fuller, Chris Brown and Amir Carlisle.
Depending on how optimistic you want to be, it’s not inconceivable to think that Adams could find himself in elite company next season. While he won’t likely climb into the Fournette, McCaffery conversation at the top of the heap, he’s got potential that’s not far off that.
Not sure of that? Just go back and look at the numbers and game tape. A freshman season averaging over seven-yards a carry and with speed to take a 98-yarder to the house? Adams could turn in a work horse season and explode statistically—especially if the Irish offense turns to the ground to move the unit.