Michigan State Spartans Football Recruiting: Running Back Abdul Adams

2016 Running Back Abdul Adams

From

Washington D.C (H.D. Woodson)

Height/Weight

Listed between 5'11 and 6'0, and between 175 and 201. That weight disparity is potentially important.

Ratings

Three-star across the board.

Notable Offers

Florida, Georgia, Illinois, Iowa, Maryland, Notre Dame, Oklahoma, Pitt, Rutgers, Tennessee, Virginia, West Virginia

Thoughts on Offer List

That's quite an offer list for a three-star! There's both local interest from teams that probably saw him a lot (Maryland, Virginia) but also national interest from teams that know some things about running backs. Consider me intrigued.

At one point, Abdul was an East Carolina commit. I'm guessing his stock jumped for some reason.

Thoughts on Film

Ok, either I'm going crazy or Abdul must have had a major growth spurt in-between seasons, because the beginning of the video makes him look far smaller than his listed size. Later in the video, he looks more like what I expected, size-wise. Given the highlights from scrimmages, that wouldn't surprise me. It would also explain why his star ranking doesn't match his offer list, and why the services have 25-pound discrepancies in his weight.

Anyways, what pops on the film is Abdul's ability to change direction in the hole at nearly full speed. That's an unusual skill. Abdul doesn't appear to be a bruising tackle-breaker but more of a speed back. Think Edwin Baker.

I liked that he finished his runs and didn't lollygag near the end of them; I also liked that he did a little blocking and catching the ball out of the backfield. Will be able to get those skills up to Big Ten-level? We'll see.

Outlook for the Rest of the Class

Abdul was the second of five commits over the weekend, fourth of seven total for the 2016 class and the first running back. Adams is the first player to come to MSU out of the D.C. area since Darien Harris in the 2011. Mark Dantonio keeps getting more national with his recruiting, and Abdul is a great example of that. Don't let his three-star label fool you; he's a big get. I'm not sure if MSU will add another running back in this class, as there's already somewhat of a youth movement at the position.

There's some talk that Adams could make an impact right away on special teams, and young guys have gotten opportunities right away on special teams under Dantonio so far.

Congrats Abdul, and welcome to the Green and White!