Amare Adams is having to grow up on the field.

He was a five-star talent out of high school, but not all five-stars develop at the same pace, and not all are plug-and-play guys. Adams falls into the latter category, so despite carrying a heavy load, including starting all three games this season, the 6-foot-4, 305-pounder has yet to hit his ceiling.

“Still coming — he is a guy that is just going to get better,” head coach Dabo Swinney said. “Hasn’t played much football. Really hasn’t played a lot of football since high school. He got hurt last year and was out all spring.”

Adams got his feet wet last season as a freshman, logging just over 100 snaps as a backup, before an injury ended his season. With transfer Kourtney Kelly tearing an ACL in the spring, and then another transfer, Markus Strong, going down with a season-ending injury of his own in the season-opening loss to LSU, Adams has been forced to carry more of a load than he otherwise might have. Devarrick Woods, another transfer who was added in the summer, is now out for the Cal game, meaning Adams’ workload could possibly increase Friday night.

Either way, injuries are a part of the game, and with the Tigers currently short on bodies at defensive tackle, this defense needs Adams to grow up fast.

“Super talented, got all the attributes, has everything you could possibly want in a guy at that position,” Swinney added. “A ton of heart. He cares. A ton of football character. I mean, he loves it.”

Through the first three games, Adams has shown flashes, including a big stop late in the comeback win over North Carolina. The next step is being more consistent, and the more he plays, the more consistent he will be.

“Every rep he gets, the more he plays and makes mistakes and learns, the better he is going to be,” Swinney said. “He is just a work in progress.”

Photo courtesy of Bart Boatwright/The Clemson Insider