Listed Measurements: 6-foot-½, 222 pounds
2017-18 year, eligibility: Freshman yet to enroll; four years of eligibility remaining
Depth chart: With a duo of veterans manning one linebacker spot (senior captain Greer Martini and junior Te’von Coney) and stalwart senior Nyles Morgan at the other, any youth in the Irish linebacker corps will likely have to wait out this season to see many defensive snaps. Adams is no exception, though there will be an opportunity to prove himself as Morgan’s primary backup, not that Morgan will come off the field much, barring injury.
Recruiting: A rivals.com three-star recruit, Adams chose Notre Dame over offers from Florida, LSU, Michigan and Michigan State, among others. An Under Armour All-American, Rivals rated Adams the No. 18 linebacker in the country and the No. 8 prospect in Pennsylvania.
QUOTE(S)
Irish coach Brian Kelly used the usual array of buzzwords to describe Adams and fellow incoming linebacker Drew White on National Signing Day.
“We have two that are instinctive, tough, smart,” Kelly said. “Those are the three things that stand out with David Adams and Drew White.
“… Competitive, smart, instinctive linebackers. It just adds to what we’re looking for from a defensive perspective. Really, really excited in having them on our football team.”
Kelly also specifically included Adams as one of the driving forces of what Kelly dubbed the “core 15,” the 15 prospects who kept the Notre Dame class of 2017 together despite last year’s dismal record and subsequent coaching staff turnover.
“More than anything else, it was a group that weathered a season that is one nobody was proud of and excited about,” Kelly said. “But they knew they wanted to come to Notre Dame.”
WHAT WE SAID WHEN ADAMS’ NATIONAL LETTER OF INTENT ARRIVED
“Adams brings excellent size to Notre Dame, a big reason he was as sought after as he was in this recruiting cycle. Yet, he never really wavered from his Irish commitment, along with teammate defensive lineman Kurt Hinish. With good vision, Adams should be able to shoot the gaps readily-present with the intended [four]-down front of new defensive coordinator Mike Elko.”
2017 OUTLOOK
Like White, Adams should not expect to seem much playing time on defense this season. More of a run-stopping linebacker than one ready to drop into coverage, he fits more into the role currently filled by Morgan than anywhere else. Backing up Morgan is not a position that will lead to much, if any, playing time. (The 99-to-2 entry for No. 45 Jonathan Jones set the over/under on defensive snaps missed by a healthy Morgan in a competitive game at 5.5. Yes, that is for the entire season.)
For that matter, Adams underwent surgery on a torn ulnar collateral ligament in his elbow following the Under Armour All-America Game. Taking an additional few months recovery hardly seems like a poor decision. Even if Morgan were to suffer an injury, the odds are Coney would slide into that starting role, continuing to limit the number of available snaps.
DOWN THE ROAD
The Irish linebacker corps is only a season away from lacking much experience. Both Martini and Morgan will be out of eligibility, leaving Coney as the only veteran. By next season, it seems likely sophomore Jamir Jones will have moved to the defensive line, leaving only Adams, White and sophomore Jonathan Jones (no relation) to compete for a starting spot alongside Coney, plus whatever current high school seniors join their ranks down the line.
All this is to say, Adams will have a prime chance to start as a sophomore. His instincts indicate he will fit the Morgan role. The only question will be if he fits it better than Jones or White. Even if one of those two earns the starting nod, Adams will be a primary backup.
This season may or may not be spent preserving eligibility. If it isn’t, that will probably mean he spends time on special teams, accumulating few statistics. In 2018, however, even a backup inside linebacker could tally 15-20 tackles, if not more.
Aside from the five early enrollees, the numbers are not yet confirmed for the Irish freshmen class. That is one of the admitted drawbacks to organizing this summer-long series numerically. But thanks to social media and the technologies of 2017, those numbers have slowly come to be known.
By those mediums, it appears David Adams will wear No. 35, moving sophomore cornerback Donte Vaughn to a single-digit jersey.
2017’s Notre Dame 99-to-2
Friday at 4: Goodbye A-to-Z, hello 99-to-2 (May 12)
No. 99: Jerry Tillery, defensive tackle
No. 98: Andrew Trumbetti, defensive end
No. 97: Micah Dew-Treadway, defensive tackle
No. 96: Pete Mokwuah, defensive tackle
No. 95: Myron Tagovailoa-Amosa, defensive tackle (originally theorized as No. 92)
No. 94: Darnell Ewell, defensive tackle (originally theorized as No. 95)
No. 93: Jay Hayes, defensive end
No. 92: Jonathon MacCollister; defensive end (originally theorized as No. 46)
No. 91: Ade Ogundeji, defensive end
No. 89: Brock Wright, tight end
No. 88: Javon McKinley, receiver
No. 87: Michael Young, receiver (originally theorized as No. 84)
No. 86: Alizé Mack, tight end
No. 85: Tyler Newsome, punter
No. 84: Cole Kmet, tight end (originally theorized as No. 90)
No. 83: Chase Claypool, receiver
No. 82: Nic Weishar, tight end
No. 81: Miles Boykin, receiver
No. 80: Durham Smythe, tight end
No. 78: Tommy Kraemer, right tackle
No. 77: Brandon Tiassum, defensive tackle
No. 76: Dillan Gibbons, offensive lineman (originally theorized as No. 65)
No. 75: Josh Lugg, offensive tackle (originally theorized as No. 73)
No. 75: Daniel Cage, defensive tackle
No. 74: Liam Eichenberg, right tackle
No. 72: Robert Hainsey, offensive tackle
No. 71: Alex Bars, offensive lineman
No. 70: Hunter Bivin, offensive lineman
No. 69: Aaron Banks, offensive lineman
No. 68: Mike McGlinchey, left tackle
No. 67: Jimmy Byrne, offensive lineman
No. 58: Elijah Taylor, defensive tackle
No. 57: Trevor Ruhland, offensive lineman
No. 56: Quenton Nelson, left guard
No. 55: Jonathan Bonner, defensive lineman
No. 54: John Shannon, long snapper
No. 53: Sam Mustipher, center
No. 53: Khalid Kareem, defensive lineman
No. 48: Greer Martini, inside linebacker
No. 47: Kofi Wardlow, defensive end
No. 45: Jonathan Jones, inside linebacker
No. 44: Jamir Jones, linebacker/defensive lineman
No. 42: Julian Okwara, defensive end
No. 41: Kurt Hinish, defensive tackle (originally theorized as No. 94)
No. 40: Drew White, linebacker
No. 39: Jonathan Doerer, kicker (originally theorized as No. 52)
No. 38: Deon McIntosh, running back/receiver
No. 25: Jafar Armstrong, receiver (originally theorized as No. 87)
TRANSFERS
No. 66: Tristen Hoge, offensive lineman, transfers to BYU
No. 50: Parker Boudreaux, offensive lineman
No. 30: Josh Barajas, linebacker, to transfer to Illinois State
INJURIES
No. 13: Tyler Luatua, tight end, career ended by medical hardship