From center to guard and tackle, new South Carolina offensive lineman Greg Adkins looks for details on the recruitment trail. First of all, Adkins wants a room full of players who have a passion for what they do.
“If you don’t love football, you and I probably won’t get along,” said Adkins. “The first thing I’m going to ask every coach to do is recruit any striker: the boy loves football. If he loves football, then he has a chance. If a boy is unsure whether he is willing to pay the price to have what you need to play college football, so you’re not recruiting the right person.
When it comes to physical characteristics, what Adkins doesn’t want in a crowded room are players of the same size.
“You certainly need to be some size,” said Adkins. “There are all these measurable factors out there and you certainly need to look at them. You cannot have 10 children of 1.8 m or 1.8 m playing. There are kids this big that can compete, but you can’t have a whole room of them. You have to have some length, have some chest mass on the back. “
Having trained across the country, training on the front lines for attack, Adkins wants a group of attackers who understand defensive tendencies.
“Defenses are no longer just defending the base where they line up and here they are,” said Adkins. “It is necessary to have children who think, react and play fast. We will help you with the scheme to obtain this gong, but at the end of the day you have to have guys who can play fast and physically. “
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Adkins inherits the most experienced position group on the Gamecocks list. Nine attackers from the Carolina offensive line have initial experience, led by junior tackle Dylan Wonnum, guard Jovaughn Gwyn and center Eric Douglas. The Gamecocks 2021 subscription class includes 6-5 pounds and 300 pounds and 6-3 pounds Jordan Davis (Fairburn, Ga./Creekside). JonDarius Morgan (Birmingham, Ala./Huffman).
Adkins arrives in Carolina after spending the last three seasons as an offensive line coach and recruitment coordinator at Marshall University, working under the coach. Doc Holliday. In 2020, Thundering Herd yielded 12 sacks in 10 games, occupying 13th place in the country, while allowing only 3.5 tackles per defeat, the fourth best mark in the country.
Right guard Cain Madden received honors from America’s second team, both from the Associated Press and Walter Camp. Madden and offensive line mate Josh Ball first All-Conference USA team, while Alex Mollette it was a second team selection. Under the tutelage of Adkins, line attackers Levi Brown was a center for the first team’s All-Conference USA in 2018-2019, while Madden received second team honors in 2019.
Between his two missions in Marshall, Adkins trained the offensive line at six schools, including four Power-5 schools, two of which are at the SEC. His curriculum includes stints in Georgia (1996-2000), Troy (2001-02), Tennessee (2003-08), Syracuse (2009-12), Oklahoma (2015-17) and Charlotte (2018). He also handled recruitment roles in Syracuse, Tennessee and Troy; trained tight end and defensive line in Georgia; he was a mentor to the tight ends in Tennessee; and served as Charlotte’s racing game coordinator and interim offensive coordinator. Adkins also has experience in the NFL, having spent two years in Buffalo as the 2013-14 tight ends coach.