CLEMSON — Though he plays a different position than his father did at Clemson, Keith Adams Jr is a lot like his dad.

He is going to lay down the hammer. In fact, his nickname is “Hammerhead.”

“You look at him and you think he is truly a sledgehammer. He is just thick and powerful, and he is all of that,” Clemson head coach Dabo Swinney said.

Keith Adams Sr was the same way. He was nicknamed the “Termite” because, though was small, he was very destructive.

Adams Sr was one of the greatest linebackers to ever wear he Orange and White. The 1999 ACC Defensive Player of the Year tallied a school record in tackles that still stands today for a single season.

His 186 tackles also led the nation, as did his school-record 35 tackles for loss. He also was second nationally in sacks that year with 16, another Clemson record.

Adams Sr set a single-game record with 27 tackles against rival South Carolina, while recording a record four sacks and six tackles for loss against Duke.

So far this spring, Adams Jr has been working with the second team offense, behind first team running back Phil Mafah.

“He is just different. He is just different than all of those other guys,” Swinney said.

What makes Adams different is his size and strength. He stands just 5-foot-9, but he weighs 215 pounds, a solid 215.

“He is a tough dude to tackle,” Swinney said.

Swinney described the redshirt sophomore as a guy that has tailback talent but has the mentality of a fullback.

“He’s got a little better change of direction than you think. This kid can stick a foot in the ground, and he is really, really improved just with his vision and his understanding of everything we are doing in the run game,” Swinney said. “So, he is a handful. He is kind of unique, but he is a handful.”

Clemson will lineup two running backs in the backfield, but not in the traditional since, such as a I-formation. The last two seasons, the Tigers have run Mafah and former running back Will Shipley in split formations alongside the quarterback.

That will likely be the case this year, and since Clemson does not have a traditional fullback, Adams and Mafah (6-1, 230) give the Tigers two tailbacks who play like fullbacks.

“I think anytime we get into our two-back stuff, you got to be willing to do that, just like we had with Shipley and Mafah. Somebody has to lead, and somebody has to kick out,” Swinney said. “There is a lot that goes into it. You don’t have a lot of true I-formation. If I get into a true I-formation, I am putting one of those big dudes back there, but Keith runs the ball like an old school fullback that can really, really run.”

And that should make him very beneficial for the Clemson offense.

“What we are trying to get him to do is just be him. Just be who he is and do not worry about anything else. There will be a role for him. I really believe that,” Swinney said.

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