Our countdown to kickoff is down to 23 days — another day closer to the conclusion of fall camp and the return of Oklahoma Sooners football. For today’s countdown edition, we are spotlighting the only tailback with extensive game experience as a Sooner on the roster, sophomore Abdul Adams.
Originally from Landover, Maryland, Abdul Adams played his senior year of high school in North Carolina due to a messy residency policy situation. Adams had been committed to East Carolina before the Pirates offensive coordinator accepted an OC position at the University of Oklahoma. Yes, that coordinator was Lincoln Riley, who was also one of Adams’s primary recruiters while at ECU.
Abdul Adams would decommit from ECU and later commit to Michigan State. As time went on, Adams received an offer he knew he couldn’t pass up. It was from Oklahoma. With that offer, the talented RB prospect knew he had the chance be reunited with the man who he had originally committed to playing for.
It was a no-brainer for Adams. He became a Sooner.
As a true freshman for the 2016 season, Adams saw limited time behind two of the best to ever do it at OU: Samaje Perine and Joe Mixon. That being said, when his number was called, 23 showed flashes of his potential. Overall, Adams finished with 283 yards on 53 carries in seven contests.
Now, with Perine and Mixon both earning paychecks in the NFL, the biggest opportunity for a significant boost in playing time for Adams is here and now. Adams should know the offense as well as any of the other backs on the roster, if not better. He should also take confidence in knowing that Lincoln Riley has been a major believer in him since Riley’s ECU days.
Whatever happens during the rest of fall camp will go a long way in determining if Abdul can be that go-to ball carrier the Sooners are looking for. Either way, Adams looks to play a pivotal role in the direction of Oklahoma’s 2017 campaign.