CLEMSON — The rave reviews continue to pour in for Clemson true freshman Amare Adams.

The former five-star recruit drew considerable praise from coaches and teammates alike back during the spring, and now that the Tigers are well into fall camp, his trajectory continues to point upwards.

Adams has gotten plenty of work against some of Clemson’s most experienced offensive linemen, with starting right tackle Blake Miller noting not only the freshman’s sheer talent level, but also that he is a true student of the game.

“Amare is definitely a special player,” Miller said. “The way he moves and also the way he is able to comprehend the game is very advanced. I am very encouraged by what I see from him day in and day out in practice.”

And it hasn’t taken long for Adams to make his presence felt, and against the Tigers’ starters up front.

“Us being out there and pushing him and him being out there pushing us, it makes everybody better,” Miller added. “That has been really awesome.”

Adams also brings another intangible to the field. The fact that he is a winner.

As a high school junior at South Florence, Adams anchored a Bruins’ defensive front that made it all the way to the 4A state title game. While South lost that game in heartbreaking fashion, it was the only loss the team suffered that season.

South Florence head coach Drew Marlowe made all the underclassmen on the team stay out on the field and watch as the winning team celebrated its comeback win. He wanted his players to remember that feeling and never want to feel it again.

During his senior campaign, Adams racked up 75 tackles, with 13 tackles for loss and six sacks, despite facing constant double teams and opposing offenses consistently running away from him. More importantly, Adams helped guide the Bruins back to the state title game, and this time they would do the celebrating after capturing their second state championship in three years.

Winning at a high level at the high school ranks helped prepare Adams for what he would endure at Clemson, and those experiences are a part of the reason he looks ready to contribute as a freshman.

“The biggest thing I want to emphasize is what he does off the field,” veteran offensive lineman Collin Sadler said. “Coming in and being a freshman, it is really easy to kind of go with the flow. Do what everybody else is doing. But Amare has been different from the moment he stepped on campus. “Whether that is trying to build a relationship with the guys that are playing across the ball from him, which isn’t normal.”

Adams was recently sidelined with what Dabo Swinney termed a sprained ankle, but the head coach also insisted that he wouldn’t be out long. Having him back at full strength is going to be beneficial seeing as he is already proving to be a valuable asset along the defensive front.

“Just being a leader at his position,” Sadler said. “Doing stuff the right way 24/7 and bringing guys along with him. Really proud of his leadership.”

Photo courtesy of Bart Boatwright