Jamal Adams Is A Tiger!!!

Normally when you are behind the 8 ball with a recruit, that uphill battle is too much to overcome to receiver their commitment.  When you have guys working on him like Goon Squad 7-on-7 teammates Ed Paris and Tony Brown working on him, it helps the coaches that much more to overcome the deficit.  And that is exactly what happened in Tuesday following a nearly month-long full-court press when Hebron High School safety Jamal Adams announced his decision to attend LSU over the Florida Gators and Ole Miss Rebels.

The staff had their work cut out for them to overcome the lead the Gators created with help from Jamal's godfather  and Florida wide receivers coach Joker Phillips.  It appeared as if once Hootie Jones initially made his commitment to Alabama, the LSU staff turned up the heat to get Adams in Baton Rouge.  With help from good friend Ed Paris, who was even in the Adams' household when Miles made his in-home visit to Adams in December, the staff put their front foot forward and made their mark.  Even after Hootie made his surprise decommitment from Alabama, the staff still maintained that Adams was their #1 target and their constant attention paid off.

It is a huge pickup to join a solid defensive back class that already consists of Ed Paris, John Battle and Devin Voorhies, along with the potential commitment from Tony Brown.  With the emergence of freshmen like Rashard Robinson, Tre'davious White and Rickey Jefferson, the future of the secondary in Baton Rouge looks to be very bright.

So, what does Adams bring to this class?  C'mon let's take a look:

Jamal Adams DFW Top Player (via DFW Top Plays)

The first thing that jumps out at me is Jamal's athleticism.  In a five minute film, he is making plays as a running back, wide receiver, safety and a kick returner.  He brings a lot of speed and agility along with him, making solid cuts that allows him to gain more yards, showing he will be a threat to take it to the house any time he gets his hands on the ball on defense.

Another thing that draws your attention is the force he brings when he lays the boom.  He's not the biggest safety you will see but he definitely hits like one.  Like the old saying "It's not the size of the dog in the fight, it's the size of the fight in the dog."  Adams is a living embodiment of it.  When he hits you, you are going to know who did it and feel it.

You don't see many issues with him in the video, but the problem is you don't see too much footage of him in the secondary.  I think he will only get better as he will only have to listen to one position coach and coordinator during his time at LSU.  Most of your talented high school athletes play both ways so it comes down to getting that full-fledged teaching and experience at your position of expertise, which will be safety for Adams.

The Impact

It is huge to add a top recruit out of a neighboring state to continue to construct a solid pipeline there.  In a state like Louisiana, not every position will be covered with SEC-caliber recruits, so it comes down to making your mark in other states.  Les and company did just that this year in taking two (and potentially three) top defensive backs out of Texas.  While the defensive backfield will be loaded with talent, we saw this year that Les has no problem playing the guys that deserve to play.  We could definitely see Adams on the field next year as we lose one of our starting safeties in Craig Loston and the other spot is up for grabs with Jefferson possibly as the frontrunner going into next year.

Whether it is next year or sometime later, Jamal Adams will have a significant impact on this school and should make a lot of plays in our last line of defense