Adams has the upside to finish the season much higher on this list. It all comes down to opportunity. Southeast Raleigh’s depth and another backfield running mate on this list limited Adams to 135 touches last season. Still, he eclipsed 1,000 scrimmage yards and scored 14 touchdowns to help lead the Bulldogs to a regional semifinal.

Adams isn’t your typical change-of-pace back in that he’s a true bruiser, rather than a scat back. He’s an excellent receiver out of the backfield with good vision and speed, but his best traits are his pad level and tackle-breaking ability. He’s not a big volume guy, but he hit 1,000 scrimmage yards, and he’s done plenty to convince us he’s a future three-down back.

Adams is another guy who isn’t going to get a workhorse load, given the offense and the depth chart. Playing behind an NC State commit, Adams is an elite change-of-pace back, a guy who can come in without letting the offense take a step back. He’s a bigger back with pass-catching ability and good vision to pick up tough yardage.

After a solid sophomore season that landed him on our radar, Adams has taken the offseason to reshape his body. A compact runner with a strong lower-half, Adams has added good weight and maintained his explosive abilities. That gives him plenty of upside when it comes to contact balance and tackle-breaking abilities.

Adams is a powerful, bowling ball of a runner who plays both ways. When we do our second film pass through of the fall, he’s likely to enter our rankings. We like his ability to get to the edge and run through tackles at the second level. He should have a bigger role as a junior and if he can maintain his consistency with more carries, he’s going to be a name to know.