The Syracuse football squad has been searching for a star running back for a long time. They may have finally found their man in Abdul Adams.
For a University that prides itself on the legacy of No. 44, they sure have done a poor job in finding star talent at the running back position as of late.
That is all set to change with Oklahoma transfer Abdul Adams ready to take on the full load for Syracuse football in 2019.
Due to the transfer rules, Adams was forced to sit out 2018 and wait for his opportunity in 2019. But a relatively unknown/unused loop hole existed through the residency rule, which long story short meant that Adams surprisingly was available for the Camping World Bowl.
Leading up to the game multiple insiders and Dino Babers suggested that their playing time and impact would likely be marginal because these players had been on the scout team all year and haven’t been getting hit, so they wouldn’t likely be ready for any huge impact.
Well bravo Babers, you have a wonderful poker face.
Adams and the other transfer Trishton Jackson of Michigan State had huge impacts on the game totaling three combined touchdowns in a decisive 34-18 victory over West Virginia.
This was the first time the national media (and much of the public) got to see these two players strut their stuff.
The only other time that these players were available to see in Orange uniforms came in the Spring Showcase back in March where both Adams and Jackson popped in front of a few thousand Orange fans at the Carrier Dome.
So who is Abdul Adams?
Obviously the old school that Abdul played at, Oklahoma, jumps off the page. When Syracuse can land a player of that magnitude people start asking questions, why did he leave Oklahoma?
Well he had battled some fumbling issues that kept him off the field, but showed in his limited snaps that he could be an absolute game changer. For more on Adams, we spoke to Oklahoma Insider Ryan Aber about Abdul:
"“Well he can be an explosive runner. I mean if you just look at that Baylor game last year where he had that 99 yard run. He’s a guy who can make people miss. Adams is a really good running back, not quite as good as some of the other running backs at Oklahoma, but in fairness that’s a pretty tall order. I think Syracuse is going to be very happy with what they have in Abdul Adams. The one big question for him is whether he can hang onto the ball. He had some serious fumbling issues during his time at Oklahoma which kept him off the field. But if he gets that fixed, there’s not a whole lot that Abdul Adams can’t do.”"
Syracuse has been craving someone like this to step up to the plate. Don’t get me wrong I like Dontae Strickland and Moe Neal, but they’re ancillary pieces. Strickland won’t be here in 2019 and Moe Neal had a solid year (869 yards and five touchdowns), but SU needs a three down back who can be a bell cow.
A pet peeve of mine has been the lack of star running backs at Syracuse over the years. An embarrassing statistic that still eats away at me: Syracuse hasn’t had a 1,000 yard rusher since the 2012 season. That drought ends in 2019 with Abdul Adams taking a full role in the Orange is the New Fast offense.