Recruit Roundup: Corey Adams, DT

Corey Adams
DT - Scouts, Inc. #53 Overall Prospect, #5 DT recruit Rank: 83.
6'3, 292 LBS, Scottsdale, Arizona (Saguaro HS)

Overview

One of the nation’s elite defensive prospects among the 2009 class, Adams is a dominant, punishing lineman with explosive abilities. An incredible pass rusher from the defensive tackle position, he attended the same high school as fellow signees Kody Koebensky and Max Smith, as well as Sun Devil defensive back Max Tabach. His position coach as a senior was Kyle Caldwell, a Saguaro alum and former ASU All-Pac-10 performer.

Accolades

One of the leaders on Saguaro’s three-time 4A-I state championship squads from 2006-08. Saguaro posted a combined record of 41-1 over those three seasons. He participated among the nation’s elite high school football players in the 2009 Under Armour High School All-American Game in Orlando, Florida. Earned First-Team All-4A honors in 2008 by the Arizona Republic. Earned First-Team Best in the West honors by the Long Beach Press Telegram, joining fellow signee Vontaze Burfict on that list. Earned All-Arizona honors in 2007 and was included on the Friday Night Heroes list by Phoenix Metro Football Magazine.

Unanimously regarded as the top defensive tackle in the state of Arizona, also saw action along the offensive line for Saguaro. Regarded as a five-star prospect by Scout.com and listed by Scout.com as the No. 46 overall recruit in the country and the nation’s NO. 8 defensive tackle prospect. Rated as the No. 54 overall prospect in the nation and the country’s No. 5 defensive tackle by ESPN Scouts, Inc. Ranked by Rivals.com as the No. 89 overall player in the nation and the No. 8 defensive tackle. Also regarded as the No. 2 overall prospect in the state of Arizona and the nation’s second-best pass rushing defensive tackle by Rivals.com.

High School Career

Collected 240 tackles and 34 quarterback sacks during his three-year prep career and was coached by John Sanders at Saguaro High School.

Senior Year 2008

Totaled 71 tackles and 5 quarterback sacks as a senior. Totaled 5 or more tackles in 8 games. Collected a season-high 14 total tackles against Apache Junction on Oct. 24, 2008. That team included fellow Sun Devil signee Shane McCullen. Totaled 10 tackles and 1 sack against Cactus Shadows on Oct. 10, 2008.

Junior Year 2007

Was one of the nation’s most dominant linemen in 2007, totaling 117 tackles and 24 quarterback sacks. (Wow! DT with those stats?...teams must have been triple teaming him this past year.) Also rushed 5 times for 28 yards. Made at least 5 tackles in every game of the season and totaled 10 or more stops 4 times. Posted at least 1 sack in 12/14 games. Collected a season-high 14 tackles and 5 sacks against both Shadow Mountain on Sept. 20, 2007 and against Agua Fria on Nov. 9, 2007. Posted 11 tackles and 1 sack against Chaparral on Oct. 12, 2007. Recorded 10 tackles against both Paradise Valley on Sept. 28, 2007 and against Cactus Shadows on Oct. 4, 2007.

Sophomore Year 2006

Posted 52 total tackles, 5 sacks and 1 fumble recovery as a sophomore in 2006. Tallied a season-high 10 tackles and 1 sack against Nogales on Sept. 8, 2006. Recorded a season-high 1.5 sacks against Cienega on Sept. 21, 2006.

The Decision

Chose ASU over Ohio State and USC, and also received offers from several prominent programs including California, Florida, Georgia, Michigan, Missouri, Nebraska, Notre Dame, Oklahoma, Oregon, Stanford, Tennessee and UCLA.

Hit the Jump for more scouting reports.

Per Scouts, Inc.

"Adams already is talented and productive, and he has additional upside. He possesses good size and great size potential. Has good height and the frame to develop into a physical monster. Appears to have a thick build on film, but could add even more bulk through a college weight program. Flashes good quickness off the ball, but could be more consistent in this area. Plays under control and has shown the ability to take good steps out of his stance and use good leverage. Gets under blockers' pads pretty consistently, despite his height. Can be physical at the point of attack and able to hold his ground. Can play half a man and secure a gap. Has very active hands and uses them to good, violent effect. Shoots them coming off the ball, gets good position and can shed after he engages. Shows the strength to create separation, but sometimes tries to spin out of blocks. Needs to do a better job of locating the ball during plays, but he won't blindly run upfield when left unblocked. Senses when something is up, stays low and square, and shuffles. Has good speed for a big guy and flashes a closing burst. Can run a bit upright, but he's athletic enough for an interior lineman to provide support on the perimeter. Has a good motor and will pursue, but (like many high school prospects) needs to learn to do it every snap. He's a disruptive pass rusher who can push back a blocker and collapse the pocket. Has the active hands to knock a blocker out of his cylinder or knock his hands down. Runs line twists effectively, attacking tight off of the penetrator's butt, but sometimes telegraphs the stunt. Well-built and pretty fundamentally sound, Adams is a very good prospect. With additional bulk and fine-tuning, he can grow into a very good college player. Notes: Official Visits: Arizona State: September 19th, Nebraska - September 26th, Ohio State - October 24th, USC - December 12th. Holding approximately 35 scholarship offers (May 2008, Bucknuts.com). 2007: 1st team All-Region, All-State, All-City. Also recruited by Florida, UCLA, Stanford, Arizona, Michigan, Oregon, Oregon State, Tennessee..."

So, top two guys are both on defense. Our defense was starting to look pretty studly at the end of '08, winning us the Washington, WASU, and UCLA games essentially and keeping us in a few others. Look for Adams to pair with Guy to form one hell of a DT tandem.