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Name: Abdul Adams
Position: Running back
Year: Junior
Height: 5’11”
Weight: 209
Hometown: Landover, Md.
High School: Hillside (N.C.)
2017 Stats: As a member of the Oklahoma Sooners, his touches were pretty limited last year. Still, he managed 542 yards (and a touchdown) on just 59 carries, and added five catches for 80 yards and another score. The yardage would’ve led SU running backs last season (and been just shy of Eric Dungey’s team-leading total).
2018 Projections: Due to NCAA transfer rules, Adams has to sit out for 2018 and will have two years of eligibility remaining thereafter for the Syracuse Orange.
How’d He Get Here?: H.D. Woodson assistant Wayne Johnson had been talking up Syracuse, which helped the Orange get a leg up over interest from schools like Clemson, Georgia, Virginia Tech, Virginia and North Carolina when Adams chose to transfer.
What’d Recruiting Sites Say?: Four stars in the 247Sports composite rankings, and among the top 400 players in his class (and top 15 running backs).
Money Quote: Abdul’s father, Samuel Gaillard, paints a pretty nice picture for Orange fans here if it comes true.
“I think he’ll be a great addition to the Syracuse team and he’s going to get a chance to really display his talent. I think he will help Syracuse win at least two to three more games.”
Twitterfeed: @abdul_adams2
Tweets of Wonder: That’s pretty damn good (and we’ll take anything close to this, obviously).
With Abdul Adams leaving for Syracuse
— Mike Brooks (@MBrooks02) January 23, 2018
Sooners Career Leaders Rushing Yards per Carry (min. 100 Rushing Attempts)
1. Darrell Shepard 79-81 7.48ypc
2. Eric Mitchell 85-88 7.41ypc
3. Greg Pruitt 70-72 7.40ypc
4. Abdul Adams 2016-17 7.37ypc
5. Marcus Dupree 82-83 7.24ypc
What movie would Dino Babers recommend for him?: Kareem Abdul-Jabbar appeared in classic 1980 comedy “Airplane,” a film I’d bet money on Dino being a fan of. If you’d like to get depressed, the new freshmen were born 20 years after that film came out.
Interesting Nugget O’Interest: Adams is the second Oklahoma transfer to come to Syracuse in recent years, along with grad transfer QB Drew Allen in 2013. Allen began that season as the starter before ceding the job to Terrel Hunt. Let’s hope Adams is more of a long-term fixture for the Orange.
Let’s Get a Good Look Atcha: He’s Abdul tearing through Baylor’s Swiss cheese defense last year. This makes me happy for a variety of reasons.