When Tarean Folston tore his ACL in the 2015 season-opener against Texas it opened a door for freshman Josh Adams to contribute.
With a healthy Folston back, Notre Dame’s backfield gets that much stronger.
“We try and push each other in all aspects,” Adams said. “Push each other on the field, off the field, in that leadership role trying to be better leaders and just making sure that our group is the best group in the nation and that’s our main focus at the end of the day.”
Unlike the preseason quarterback competition raging between DeShone Kizer and Malik Zaire, both Adams and Folston are expected to split time at tailback for running backs coach Autry Denson. They are different types of backs, too. Adams the angular home-run threat and Folston the stocky, super-productive runner.
On Sunday, ESPN’s Kirk Herbstreit was asked on Twitter who his breakout player of 2016 will be in college football. The former Ohio State quarterback picked Adams, the Irish sophomore running back who ran for 835 yards on just 117 carries to break Darius Walker’s freshman record of 786 yards.
Add that production to Folston — who rushed 175 times for 889 yards and six touchdowns in a breakout sophomore season in 2014 — and the Irish have high hopes for the backfield tandem.
“It’s amazing to come out here and see what we can do and put all that stuff together,” Adams said after Saturday’s first preseason practice at Culver Academies, which was cut short for Adams due to cramping, coach Brian Kelly said.
A three-star prospect out of Central Bucks South (Pa.) High School, Adams considered Penn State, Pittsburgh, Rutgers and Stanford before pledging to the Irish. He tore his ACL on a relatively non-violent hit on a kickoff return as a high school junior, but returned as a senior to rush for 1,618 yards and 27 touchdowns.
Adams still wears a hefty brace on his knee, but it didn’t slow him down in 2015. He ran for two touchdowns against Texas last season and had a 98-yard touchdown run against Wake Forest — the longest run ever in Notre Dame Stadium history.
He’s now trying to build on that freshman season, and it’s the same mentality as last year, he said.
“Knowing that you might mess up here and there, but staying focused and trying to improve, try to challenge the other guys in the group just so we can all get better and just competing,” Adams said. “That’s the biggest part about camp is competing and making sure you get better at the end of the day.”
Folston, who remained a key part of Notre Dame’s team while injured last season, said Adams just needs fine-tuning now.
“Josh knows a lot, so it’s not telling him what to do, it’s telling him the little things now,” Folston said. “You can tell me a lot of little things that I still need work on. He knows the playbook, he knows how to run the ball, we obviously know that and he knows how to play football in college.
“Now it’s just talking about the little things. Like you don’t necessarily have to tell him that, ‘I saw you make such-and-such cut,’ it’s about taking that first initial step and what you see before the play. Pre-snap reads, things like that.”
Adams split time with converted wide receiver CJ Prosise last fall and was not a threat catching the ball out of the backfield. He finished with just seven receptions for 42 yards and one touchdown.
This year, Adams said he wants to improve in all facets, including as a receiver.
“I want to be 100 percent all the time,” Adams said. “Limiting my mistakes, doing better in all areas — pass protection, running routes, running the ball — you want to be just an overall player. I want to focus on that here in practice.”
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