UCF the 'perfect fit' for Jacksonville OL Allan Adams

UCF may have struck a goldmine in Allan Adams, a big 6-foot-5, 300-pound offensive tackle who committed last month.

A native of Jacksonville who transferred from Oakleaf to University Christian this spring, Adams is now tapping into his full potential after moonlighting as a part-time defensive lineman earlier in his career.

"In middle school I played defensive end," Adams said. "I didn't have as much weight. I even played some fullback during my eighth grade spring. Honestly, I hated offensive line at first but my coach coming into high school told me I might as well start loving it because I'm going to be an offensive lineman. He still let me play defensive line - I played both o-line and d-line in 10th grade, but last season (11th grade) I played offensive line full-time."

Now dedicated to life as a blocker, Adams says he now has an appreciation for the position. He also realized it could be his ticket to a scholarship, though that wasn't at the forefront of his mind this spring.

"In the back of my mind I knew I wanted to get recruited, but honestly my focus as we started spring was just to be the best teammate I could be and work my hardest," Adams said.

UCF running backs coach Anthony Tucker visited University Christian in late April and told his coach they had strong interest.

"I think it was a couple weeks later they came out and watched me practice," Adams said. "Coach (Glen) Elarbee got my number and we started talking. It wasn't long before they offered me. I already liked UCF a lot even before then. It was just a blessing they would offer me."

Adams was invited to visit on June 1 where he got to tour the campus and spend some one-on-one time with the staff.

"It was really family oriented," he said. "I just really enjoyed the vibe they were giving off. It was a lot different than some other colleges."

He really enjoyed getting to know Elarbee.

"It was fun," Adams said. "On the first visit we went into his office and had a little film session. We were going over plays and he was giving me tips on pass rush and stuff like that. He put on some plays that I run in high school. He pointed out my pulling skills. This spring was the first time I'd really done that. They didn't pull the tackles when I was at Oakleaf. (Elarbee) was really impressed. He said I was really quick doing it."

Adams thought about committing then, but decided to hold off until he completed his camp schedule. He attended a multi-day camp at Clemson, spent one day at USF and then returned to UCF on June 15 for the "Friday Night Lights" camp.

"I had been thinking and praying on it," Adams said. "I was talking to my family and my coaches. I went back for the camp and everything was just perfect. Getting to actually work with them, their coaching style, I just loved it. It really was the perfect fit."

The commitment officially came later that night.

"We were just hanging around talking," Adams said. "I was talking to (Josh) Heupel and I was like, 'I'm ready.' He's like, "You're ready? That's great!' He got all excited. Then I told Coach Elarbee and it was like a celebration."

The campus experience - and the fact he's only a couple hours away from home - also played a role in the decision.

"My favorite part is the dorm rooms," Adams said. "Not every college provides you a real apartment with full kitchens and stuff. I thought that was pretty cool. I really like the town center too. All the facilities are real close together too."

He says he's familiar with freshman linebacker Eriq Gilyard because they played his team last season. He also enjoyed meeting members of the offensive line while at the camp, particularly fellow Jacksonville native Jordan Johnson.

A few hours after Adams' commitment, the Knights got another from fellow offensive lineman Marcus Finger. The duo had hit it off at the Clemson camp completely unaware they both were top UCF targets.

"I didn't even know he had an offer from UCF," Adams said. "We were just hanging around and talking at the Clemson camp, like buddies. I committed and then he commits. That was crazy. All of us commits now have a group chat so we've gotten to know each other better."

He already has a major in mind too.

"I'm thinking about criminal justice," he said. "I'd like to maybe be a DEA agent or something like that."

Adams was UCF's fifth commit, but that number has since increased to 10 with the most recent pledge coming from another offensive lineman: Matt Lee of Oviedo-Hagerty.