Harry Adams arrived on campus at Auburn not knowing what position he would play. Would he be a wide receiver? Would he be a cornerback?
Adams, 6-0 and 180 pounds from Dillard High School in Fort Lauderdale, didn’t care about coordinator transitions. He knew that, at whatever position he took snaps, he wanted to take them for Auburn.
Once Adams got to campus, defensive coordinator Paul Rhoads called him into this office to ask what he thought about playing cornerback. Adams didn’t hesitate to agree.
“When I first got here, they made the decision and I was OK with it,” Adams told AuburnUndercover.com. “I hope it gets me on the field a little bit earlier.”
Rhoads, who was hired in mid-January, wasn’t in on Adams’ recruitment for long. He was impressed that Adams so readily accepted the move.
“With the need in the backfield that we have, he immediately became a player that we talked about that could make the move,” Rhoads said. “When we talked to Harry about the move, he did so without hesitation or reservation. That told me a lot about him. Most kids like to have the ball in their hands if they’re skill kids. If they’re a receiver/DB, they like to catch the ball. There are accolades. There is a lot more that goes with it than covering a guy and tackling a guy. The fact that he was willing to give that up and not complain or fight it tells me that he might be a special player.”
At Dillard, Adams was a special player wherever he lined up.
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HARRY ADAMS
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Position: DB
High
school:
Dillard-Fort Lauderdale
Height: 6-0 Weight: 180
Notes
of interest:
Had seven catches for 173 yards and two touchdowns
as a senior ... Scored eight touchdowns as a junior and had three return
scores ... Named to PrepStar's All-Southeast Region team ... At the 2006
Class 4A state track meet, posted times of 10.31 in the 100 meters and 21.03
in the 200 meters while winning both events.
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Dillard coach Keith Franklin said Adams, another high school track star Auburn signed in this recruiting class, has run a 4.25 in his 40-yard dash. That speed combined with instinctive cuts, Franklin said, could make him a premier return man in college.
“The one thing he had was speed,” Franklin said. “He’s a threat to take it the distance at any time.”
Franklin was quick to point out that speed is not the only strong part of Adams game. Franklin likened Adams’ physical play to Carlos Rogers, who won the Thorpe Award as an Auburn senior in 2004.
“He’s going to hit you,” Franklin said. “He’s not a kid who’s going to shy away. He’s not afraid to play up and in your chest.”
Rhoads says he is looking forward to seeing Adams display his speed on the field.
“Harry’s the kind of player that, as a defensive backs coach, you just kind of sit back and hope you get to coach him because of his raw speed,” Rhoads said. “Speed makes up for a lot of mistakes. Hopefully, he doesn’t make a lot of mistakes, but speed can help him if he does.”
Adams, who could get a look as a freshman in Auburn’s return game, says he just wants to do what is asked of him so he can play this season.
“I feel like I’ve got an opportunity, but that’s about it,” Adams said. “I’ve still got to come to practice and work hard."
Tomorrow: Defensive back Drew Cole
