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Wake Forest's Adams doesn't crave attention
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Josh Adams rushed for 953 yards as a Wake Forest freshman last season.
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Published: August 6, 2008
On most days, Josh Adams is not one to draw attention to himself.
On certain Saturdays and Thursday nights during football season, because of what he does and how well he does it, he can't help it.
Adams plays tailback for Wake Forest. Last year, as a redshirt freshman, he ran for 953 yards in 12 games, ranking third in the ACC with 79.4 yards a game.
He received more acclaim when he was named the ACC's Rookie of the Year -- becoming the second straight Deacon (after quarterback Riley Skinner) to win the honor.
But you wouldn't know it from talking with him.
"I just like to go out and do my job and do the best I can do and deal with it at the end," Adams said. "I'm getting a little more comfortable (with the attention) but still I'm on the shy side."
He's also on his coach's good side, and has been from the day he arrived after an impressive career at Cary High School.
"Josh, from day one, has always just been, ‘Yes sir, no sir,' Coach Jim Grobe said. "That's about all he ever says. When it's time to do something it's, ‘Yes sir.' When he makes a mistake and you correct him, it's, ‘Yes sir.' He just has never been an excuse guy. He's always been a hard-work guy.
"Every day he comes into the weight room or comes to practice you get his very best. And I think Josh, for his age, is so mature because he really understands that the only thing that matters is his performance."
Adams is so unassuming that in a recent conversation he never mentioned the minor surgery performed in late June on his knee. He underwent an arthroscopy to clean up some damaged meniscus that first bothered him during spring practices.
Adams was in uniform for the first preseason practice on Friday and has practiced full-speed. Trainer Don Steelman said Monday that the procedure shouldn't affect Adams' performance.
So Adams, apparently, saw no need to bring it up.
He said his nature mirrors that of his mother, Arlene Adams.
"I've taken a lot of things from her," Adams said. "She's pretty laid back. She doesn't say a lot. But she talks when needed."
But has she ever chastised Adams for being too full of himself?
"She never really had to," Adams said.
Having a more high-maintenance player at the featured running-back position might cause problems this season for Grobe and Wake Forest. The Deacons have another impressive running back, redshirt freshman Brandon Pendergrass, who should get a chance to make his own name this season.
Although it's not uncommon for two backs to share time in college football, it takes the right two backs for the arrangement to work.
Adams appears ready to accept Pendergrass's contribution -- even welcome it.
"We have actually designed a few plays in our offense to have both of us in the game at the same time -- two lethal weapons at the same time," Adams said. "You never know who will get the ball.
"I'm actually rooting for and hoping that he can pull out Rookie of the Year as well. That would be nice. Not only would it be the third consecutive person from Wake Forest, but it would be the second in our (running-backs) room."
Adams said he recognizes that the more carries Pendergrass gets, the fewer times his own name will be called.
"As long as the average and percentage of yards is pretty high, and we're winning, I'm happy,"' Adams said. "That's all that matters."
Grobe said that it's up to him and his staff to get the most from both players.
"The nice thing is I think they're very similar," Grobe said. "Neither one of those kids are afraid to run between the tackles, but they've got real good foot speed to get on the perimeter. So we've got to be just creative as coaches in the way that we get them the football.
"And that may be some unique ways other than just handing them the football. We may be pitching them the ball. We run orbits, and they can do that stuff because they've got such good foot speed. But they're also both really good at catching the football."
■ Dan Collins can be reached at 727-7323 or at dcollins@wsjournal.com.
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