Commit alert! Rutgers Football gets verbal pledge from Kay’Ron Adams

The Rutgers football coaching staff is preparing for the Big Ten opener Saturday at the Ohio State University, but continue to put work on the recruiting trail. The Scarlet Knights secured a commitment from Running Back Kay’Ron Adams, interestingly out of the State of Ohio. He announced tonight via local television network WKBN:

Adams added his own tweet at graduate assistant Ross Douglas, recruiting coordinator Omar Hales, coach Vince Okruch, and Chris Ash:

The Warren, OH native holds offers from eight FBS schools per 247sports. Fellow Big Ten school Minnesota and Pittsburgh have also shown interest. At 5’10” and 190 pounds, Adams is a solid three-star prospect, the 49th best in Ohio for the 2019 class according to the 247 composite which includes other sources. 247 itself has him as the 40th best player in Ohio and 54th best running back prospect in the country. Ohio is much like New Jersey, falling somewhere in the 10-15 range for best states for high school talent.

The running back position is one that may be the easiest to project 5-star talent, but the most difficult for everybody else. Take a season ago when Raheem Blackshear was listed as a two-star prospect and now in the words of John McNulty is the Scarlet Knights “best offensive player.” Of any position on the field, running back is also the most forgiving because a team only needs one or two to play on game day and those individuals are often able to play as true freshmen, so it’s worth taking a few gambles on guys with high upside with five or six scholarship RBs on a roster.

It’s always fun to watch running back film and it shows Adams has that upside. The first thing that sticks out is on many plays he doesn’t seem to be running that fast, yet defensive players can’t catch up to him. Perhaps it’s his form honed on the track or Janarion-like balance, but either way a good thing. The second skill that comes through is his vision. The plays he breaks for long runs aren’t just outside toss plays, much of the time he is finding running lanes through the inside before popping a big one. For a running back to play meaningful snaps right away, the vision is often key.

Kay’Ron does have some Isaih Pacheco in him visually in his style, especially on wildcat runs. Pacheco is probably a little bigger, though the high school listed measurements are comparable. Adams isn’t as thick in his lower body as a Jawan Jamison or Jacki Crooks but with Kenny Parker’s strength program is it possible he grows into that body type. This may be his ticket to stardom because there are not many plays where Adams generates a highlight after breaking a low tackle. Is that because his Robert Martin cutbacks prevent defenders from squaring him up or due to a need to get better at getting yards after contact? Time will tell.

Adams is at worst a solid three-star prospect who will compete hard in practice and provide depth like Charles Snorweah has done in his career. Snorweah was also a track star in high school as Kay’Ron is. Adams most likely will be able to contribute in the running back rotation by his second season like a more highly regarded prospect in Kordell Young. Best case Kay’Ron is a difference maker like Blackshear early on with the potential to be a star like Jamison.

I like the pickup because Ohio is an excellent state to continue inroads as a Big Ten member. Rutgers surprised many when Brendan Bordner two years ago out of the state announced his intentions to enroll on the banks. The Scarlet Knights likely won’t be stealing players from Ohio State initially, but the top talent that may end up at other FBS programs in the state would be nice to start enrolling.

Adams is the first running back in this class. The fourteen total verbal commits thus far each have a 3-star rating in the latest 247 composite rankings. Prior to Adams’s commitment, the current class was ranked 57th nationally and 12th in the Big Ten per 247 Sports. Hopefully Rutgers can be more competitive against Ohio State this weekend than they have been the last few years to continue the momentum both on and off the field.

Here are some of Adams’s highlights:

Welcome to the banks Kay’Ron!