Welcome to the big time

Gaines Adams rose from eight-man football to no scholarship offers to No. 4 overall pick.

By STEPHEN F. HOLDER
Published May 1, 2007

TAMPA -- Gaines Adams sat calmly wearing a newly tailored suit awaiting the moment that would change his life in every imaginable way. It was a moment one would expect to elicit overwhelming joy or, at the very least, a toothy smile.

But there was Adams, caught on camera talking via phone with Bucs coach Jon Gruden on Saturday, receiving the news that he would become the Bucs' first-round draft choice.

So why the sullen expression?

"I was really trying to hold back the tears, " Adams said Monday.

"I was so excited. Just seeing all the cameras and all the people and knowing it was the draft, it was like, 'Am I really here?' I couldn't even believe me coming from my background that, wow, I did it."

Sometimes, even Adams can't believe his journey. His tears would have been understandable given his supersonic ascension from eight-man high school football to the No. 4 pick in the draft.

This was once the guy no one wanted. The guy no one took seriously. The guy who as a sophomore at Clemson still longed for playing time.

Now this guy can be more accurately referred to as the man.

Adams took a meandering route to this point.

He had to "put my foot down" to convince his mother, Linda, to let him play football as an eighth-grader. The only football offered at Cambridge Academy in Greenwood, S.C., was the eight-man variety, which doesn't make for compelling college recruiting tape.

So before giving up on a football career that had barely begun, Adams, then a receiver, elected to play an extra year after high school at Fork Union Va. Prep.

"It wasn't part of the plan, but when I didn't have any schools (offering scholarships), I had to go that route because I wanted to play football, " he said. "Knowing that no one wanted to recruit you and give you a scholarship was devastating."

Clemson wasn't far away but seemed unreachable. That is until Adams went to Fork Union, became a defensive end and went on a rampage. In 10 games, he had 22 sacks.

Clemson awarded him a scholarship, and he went on to become just its second unanimous All-American.

But don't think Adams' development is over.

"When he was at Clemson, his fundamentals weren't there because he was a receiver and hadn't ever been asked to do the things we asked of him, " Clemson defensive coordinator Vic Koenning said. "He didn't have any sort of countermoves, and he still has a tremendous amount of room to grow.

"The guy really only has about one move. He's going to learn a lot more. And I think that's what (Bucs defensive coordinator Monte Kiffin) saw in him. (Tampa Bay is) exactly the right place for him. He's going to get great coaching."

He'll learn more techniques, but Adams likely always will have the same soft-spoken demeanor. He conducted his news conference Monday in a whisper, answering questions politely but with nary a hint of pizzazz or sass.

It's who he is, Adams said, which is probably the reason his first-ever trip to New York over the weekend - where he was invited to the draft at Radio City Music Hall - left him so exasperated.

"The first thing I noticed was that I didn't see one speed limit (sign). You see taxis shooting by slamming on the brakes and hitting the horn, " Adams said. "I'm like, 'What's going on? Is this a contest or something?' "

About the only time Adams' attitude appears to change is when the huddle breaks.

"I think when he steps on the field, " said his agent, Fletcher Smith, "he is going to turn it on."

He had better. This isn't eight-man football at Cambridge anymore.

"You get (Seattle All-Pro tackle) Walter Jones in your opener, " coach Jon Gruden warned him, laughing. "No pressure on you, Gaines.

"We better get to work here, brother."

Stephen F. Holder can be reached at sholder@sptimes.com or (813) 226-3377.

[Last modified April 30, 2007, 23:24:21]