Blue & Gold Illustrated: America's Foremost Authority on Notre Dame Football
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34 MARCH 2017 BLUE & GOLD ILLUSTRATED 2017 FOOTBALL RECRUITING ISSUE BY LOU SOMOGYI During this past season's Aug. 27 opener against Washington, D.C., power St. John's Prep, Pittsburgh Central Catholic linebacker David Adams suffered a torn ulnar collat- eral ligament in his elbow. Despite much pain, he opted to postpone surgery until his high school season was over. Adams had given his verbal com- mitment to Notre Dame in March, along with teammate and defensive lineman Kurt Hinish. The duo, who helped lead Central Catholic to a state title in 2015 and a runner-up finish last fall, were among 15 players from the school to sign on to play college foot- ball, 13 of them at the Division I level. Adams — who had surgery this February — played with a huge brace during the 16-game season, but still earned an invite to the Under Armour All-America Game Jan. 1 in Orlando, Fla., joining teammate and offensive lineman C.J. Thorpe (who is a Penn State signee). Hampered some by the injury, Ad- ams saw his national ratings drop, but his tenacity and heart never wavered while becoming the career tackles leader at his school. "I remember when he was a sopho- more, and I was going through re- cruiting the school," first-year Notre D a m e l i n e b a c k e r s coach Clark Lea said. "People were just rav- ing about him, not just as a player with p o t e n t i a l , b u t j u s t the way he worked. I was struck getting the chance to meet his family and talk about the level of sacrifice he brings. Here's a guy that understands what it means to go after what he wants down the road and to forfeit a little bit of what he might want right now. " H e ' s n o t a g u y who's playing video games at night. He's putting the lad- der out in the backyard and going through drills. … When you talk about separating at this level, it's that level of sacrifice that's going to be required." Since the fifth grade, Adams has also battled a stuttering problem — an issue that originally plagued Notre Dame All-American nose guard Chris Zorich (1987-90) — but he has used his stature as a platform to inspire others. "David did an excel- lent job overcoming that," Central Catho- lic head coach Terry Totten said. "He had battled with some so- cial situations, but he's handled it very well and has been an exam- ple to younger people on how to cope." Adams' performance on the field and in the classroom did plenty o f t a l k i n g f o r h i m while earning offers from Penn State, Pitt, Florida, Michigan and Stanford. "I grew up as a gen- eral fan of football, but I never really followed a team until I got to high school and started to follow Notre Dame," Adams said. "It's an honor to be able to go there. It was a hard choice because Penn State and Pitt were on me hard every single day. "But after a couple of times up at Notre Dame, I knew it was the place for me." ✦ DAVID ADAMS LINEBACKER 6-0½ · 222 CENTRAL CATHOLIC H.S. PITTSBURGH RANKINGS STARS NAT. POS. STATE ✪ ✪ ✪ — 18 8 ✪ ✪ ✪ ✪ 218 9 7 ✪ ✪ ✪ — 20 10 ✪ ✪ ✪ ✪ 88 4 4 MEASURABLES • Per Adams, he runs around a 4.6-4.7 40-yard dash, and holds a max bench press of 395 pounds and a max squat of 495 pounds. STATISTICS • As a senior, led his team in tackles with 84, and recorded 5.5 sacks, one interception and two fumble recoveries. Also rushed for 162 yards and five touchdowns, while helping Central Catholic post a 14-2 record and reach the Class 6A state championship game. • Posted 76 tackles, 3.5 sacks and one fumble recovery to help lead Central Catholic to a 15-1 mark and the Class 4A state championship during his junior season. • Holds the Central Catholic career record for tackles. HONORS • Named to the All-USA Pennsylvania first team by USA Today in both 2015 and 2016. • Selected to the 2016 Pennsylvania Football Writers' Class 6A All-State team. • Tabbed as the Pennsylvania Football News Class 6A Defensive Player of the Year and named to its all classification all-state team. • Was one of five finalists for the 2016 Class 4A- 6A Mr. PA Football Award. • Picked to The Pittsburgh Post-Gazette Fabulous 22 and to The Pittsburgh Tribune-Review Terrific 25 as a junior and a senior. • Earned a spot on the 2016 All-EPA/WPA All- State Super 25 Class 6A Team. • Received first-team MaxPreps Junior All-Amer- ica honors and was chosen to the Pennsylvania Football Writers' Class 4A All-State team in 2015. ALL-STAR GAMES AND CAMPS • Participated in the Under Armour All-America Game Jan. 1 in Orlando, Fla. Made one solo tackle for Team Armour in a 24-21 victory. RECRUITMENT • Committed to Notre Dame on March 20, 2016, after visiting South Bend for a Junior Day. • Also held offers from LSU, Michigan, Nebraska and Stanford, among others. • Visited campus unofficially for the Michigan State game (Sept. 17) during the season and took his official visit over the weekend of Jan. 20-22. • Primarily recruited by defensive line coach and recruiting coordinator Mike Elston. NOTABLE • Born March 22, 1998. 2017 PROJECTION • Offseason shoulder surgery increases the odds that Adams preserves a season of eligibility behind an already deep inside linebacker depth chart. THEY SAID IT Linebackers coach Clark Lea: "David is the proto- typical Mike linebacker. He's smart, great feel for the game in the box and physical. … He's a guy that has the intangible of divert gratification. He understands the sacrifice it is going to take to be great and I think that's what is going to drive him forward in his career here." BGI football analyst Bryan Driskell: "Adams is a quality 'in the box' linebacker that excels against the run game. He is a smart player that makes quick reads and gets downhill in a hurry. "He's a bit undersized at this point, but he has the frame to fill out well. Once that happens, he will see a boost in power and explosiveness. " David Adams Tackles Setbacks And Ball Carriers In three seasons at Central Catholic, Adams became the all-time tackles leader at the talent-rich school. PHOTO COURTESY RIVALS.COM