The beginning of Deon Adams’ football career was, in his own
words, “horrible.’’
“I got started playing in the pee wee league,’’ Adams recalled. “The first
year I was a lineman and I didn’t make but one tackle and that’s because the
guy fell over me. I hardy even got my uniform dirty.’’
My, how times have changed.
Adams has become a playmaker extraordinaire for Ben L. Smith High School in
Greensboro.
Playing wide receiver as a junior, Adams made 39 passes for 889 yards and
six touchdowns. He shifted to quarterback this year and in the season opener
against Greensboro Grimsley he passed for 431 yards and ran for 168.
It’s that kind of potential that led East Carolina to extend a scholarship
offer to Adams during its summer football camp. The 6-foot-1, 190-pounder
accepted the offer last week.
Virginia and Wake Forest had shown some interest in Adams, but the Pirates
were the first ones to offer a scholarship.
“Nobody else was recruiting me seriously,’’ Adams said. “I was getting calls
from Wake Forest and Virginia, which are pretty good schools. But I just
felt the chemistry of the program at East Carolina was right.’’
Despite his commitment to ECU, Adams did say he is “keeping his options
open.’’
“The only thing I didn’t really like about the thing with East Carolina is
they don’t like you to take any other visits,’’ Adams said. “That’s sort of
a conflict for me. Being a great athlete, I should be able to visit those
schools, even though I’m set on East Carolina. I won’t get chances like this
again.
“I’m not canceling any schools off. I’m not just limiting everything to East
Carolina.’’
ECU head coach Steve Logan has in the past frowned upon players that have
given oral commitments to the Pirates making official visits to other
schools. An offer to offensive lineman Daniel Inman of Hope Mills, N.C., was
taken off the table by ECU last year when Inman decided he wanted to check
out other schools after initially committing to the Pirates. Inman wound up
signing with Georgia.
Adams is the eighth known player to commit to East Carolina for the Class of
2003. He is the second receiver in the class, joining Brian Howard of
Clinton. Wide receiver is where Adams played his first two varsity seasons
at Smith. He has also been used to return punts and kickoffs.
“I would have been on the varsity all four years, but my mother was afraid
for me to move up from the JVs because she thought the varsity guys were too
big,’’ Adams said. “But my first varsity season I ran back a couple of
kickoffs, a couple of punt returns and caught some passes. That first
experience told me I had a gift.
“Then last year, I was really able to show my skills.’’
Adams is also a track and field standout at Smith, who competes in the 100-
and 200-meter dash, and the relays. He has a best time of 10.74 in the 100
and ompeted last year for the state 3-A championship squad in the outdoor
season.
He’s been timed at 4.4 seconds in the 40-yard dash, but Adams said speed
isn’t his greatest trait on the football field.
“On the field, I’ve got the heart of a lion,’’ Adams said. “I might not be
the biggest guy on the field, but once I get my legs churning it’s hard to
stop them.’’
The Pirates graduate just one wide receiver next spring in Richard Alston.
The bulk of ECU’s receiving corps (9) are in the freshmen and sophomore
classes.
But despite the talent already in the program, Adams believes he can make a
contribution at ECU as a true freshman.
“If I went in there my freshman year, I would expect to get to play,’’ Adams
said. “I think I’ll go in there with the workouts they’ll give me to
prepare, complete with all of them and come out as a great freshman.’’
The commitment from Adams continues ECU’s success in-state, especially in
the Triad area. All eight commitments are from in-state athletes and three
hail from the Triad area — Adams, offensive lineman Virgil Black (Lexington)
and offensive lineman Matt Brim (Winston-Salem).
