Notre Dame RB Josh Adams eyes next step after breakout 2015

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Like every true freshman at the college level, Josh Adams hoped to play as soon as he arrived on campus. But not every first-year player accomplishes that goal, let alone breaks a few records along the way. 

Adams exploded from the first time he touched the ball, which resulted in a 26-yard touchdown run in Notre Dame’s five-touchdown rout of Texas in early September. He delivered a monstrous stiff-arm to a Wake Forest defender on his way to a school record 98-yard touchdown run in November, and the 835 rushing yards with which he finished the season broke a Notre Dame freshman record set by his position coach, Autry Denson. 

But Adams doesn’t sound like someone interested in personal accolades. When asked what his takeaway from his record-setting freshman year was, the Pennsylvania native quickly turned his focus to his team as a whole.  

“I just know how much more that I need to improve because as a team, we have that place we want to get to, and we didn’t get there,” Adams said. “I know that if we want to get there I know much harder I need to work, how much harder we need to work as a unit to be the best. We were almost there, but we don’t want to settle for almost. We want to be great as a unit.” 

Adams comes across as a humble, hard-working player. This is a guy who came to South Bend as a lightly-recruited three-star player who tore his ACL in high school, robbing him on the kind of highlight tape that would’ve made far more big-time programs than Notre Dame and Stanford salivate.  

Those experiences, plus strong values, are why Denson said he’s not at all worried that Adams will rest on his freshman accomplishments. 

“He’s a very humble young man, so you don’t have to worry about him getting complacent,” Denson said. “Because of those reasons, he doesn’t know anything but to work.

“He’s not looking at the film for what he does well. He’s looking at the film for where he can improve his game. When he means improvement, if he misses one or two, that’s two to many. If he misses one, that’s one too many.”

Adams pointed to improving his pass protection skills and learning the rest of the Irish offense as some of his goals for spring practice. It’s not like his pass protection skills are lacking, either — coach Brian Kelly praised them as early as preseason camp last August, and they’re a big reason why Adams was able to take 117 carries.  

Adams hopes improving his overall offensive knowledge will help him be more effective in empty sets in which he’s motioned out of the backfield and not only has to run routes, but also know the route concepts for Notre Dame’s other receivers on those plays. 

With Adams building off his freshman year, Tarean Folston on track to return from last year’s torn ACL and coaches coming away impressed with Dexter Williams this spring, Notre Dame will enter the 2016 confident in its ability to effectively run the ball despite losing 1,000-yard rusher C.J. Prosise to the NFL. 

“I can’t see the future, but I feel like it’s going to be a great year for the both of us, our whole room, our team,” Folston said. “(Adams) is going to do everything in his will to help this team and same goes for me and the backs in that room.” 

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