Josh Adkins understands Friday’s decision means trading security for “a little bit of unknown.”
For the past two years, the Smithson Valley product has been the starting quarterback at New Mexico State, and he would’ve been the front-runner to reprise that role as a junior in 2020.
But Adkins said he wanted something different — a chance to play for a program in a conference, in a system that fits him, under coaches who can help him grow in and out of football. Even if that opportunity requires him to fight for playing time.
So Adkins announced in early March that he was entering the transfer portal, and on Friday he tweeted his commitment to enroll at UTSA as a graduate transfer with two years of eligibility. When he arrives in San Antonio, he’ll join a crowded quarterback room featuring three returners who have started games for the Roadrunners.
“I felt like I had a decision to be comfortable, or whether to go out and embrace a change and something I believe will be really good for me in the long run,” Adkins said. “I wanted to challenge myself, and I wanted to take on this journey, and I’m excited for where it goes.”
Adkins left Smithson Valley as part of the class of 2017 with a few school records and a three-star rating from 247Sports. In 20 starts at New Mexico State — an FBS independent that went 5-19 during his two seasons at the helm — Adkins racked up 5,151 yards on 59.9 percent passing with 27 touchdowns and 24 interceptions.
He will be eligible to play immediately for the Roadrunners on a 2020 roster that is also expected to include junior Frank Harris, junior Lowell Narcisse and sophomore Jordan Weeks at quarterback. Harris started UTSA’s first four games in 2019 before injury, Narcisse held the role for the next seven, and Weeks earned the nod for the season finale.
“I’m not looking to really sit or anything like that, so I want to have the opportunity to compete,” Adkins said. “I’m not walking into a starting job by any means, but the opportunity to compete is there.”
Adkins knows better than most what Harris brings to the table. Harris was also part of the 2017 recruiting class, and his Clemens teams faced Adkins’ Smithson Valley squads as district rivals.
Adkins said their relationship runs much deeper than the high school gridiron. When Adkins entered the transfer portal, Harris was the first person who called to learn more about the situation. And when Adkins received his offer from UTSA, the first number he dialed was Harris.
“He’s a great friend. He’s going to be a great teammate. He was very supportive,” Adkins said. “It’s really big to me that I handled it the right way, and I make sure that relationship is still strong, and it is. It definitely is. We know that iron is going to sharpen iron, and we’re excited for the process and looking forward to it.”
With coach Jeff Traylor entering his first season at UTSA and spring practice canceled due to the coronavirus pandemic, Adkins said all the Roadrunners quarterbacks will be starting at square one whenever the team gets back on the field.
The returning players have been learning the system through film study and video conferencing with UTSA’s coaches, and Adkins said he hopes to begin catching up on that process as soon as possible under NCAA rules.
“They didn’t have a spring ball, which is unfortunate for the team as a whole, but it also kind of allows me to go in with the new coaching staff and almost on a more level playing field than I would have if they did have spring ball,” Adkins said. “I’d probably be behind the eight ball a little bit as far as learning the offense and getting those repetitions.”
On ExpressNews.com: UTSA coach Jeff Traylor taking spring practice, recruiting digital in wake of shutdown due to coronavirus
Adkins said the national athletics shutdown impacted his search for a new school, with programs across the country unable to use the spring to evaluate their quarterbacks. He said he received interest from a variety of FBS and FCS programs, though no other offers materialized during his month in the portal.
Still, UTSA presented “exactly what I wanted and more,” Adkins said. He expects the Roadrunners to implement a pro-style offense that fits his talents, and he said his conversations with coaches showed that they genuinely care for their players.
“It’s an opportunity to grow a program and be a part of something special,” Adkins said. “UTSA is such a bright spot, and they have nowhere to go but up, and that’s definitely intriguing.”
Adkins said he considered UTSA coming out of high school. He had attended the Roadrunners’ football camps since the program’s infancy, and the school was the first to extend a college offer during his sophomore year.
At the time, Adkins became close with Kevin Brown, UTSA’s offensive coordinator and quarterbacks coach from 2012 through 2015. Adkins’ recruiting process turned when Brown and the rest of coach Larry Coker’s staff were replaced in January 2016, pushing Adkins toward New Mexico State. But he and Brown kept in touch through the years, and Brown was hired back to UTSA as Traylor’s director of football operations in January.
Had Brown and the rest of the coaches never left, Adkins said he might have been at UTSA all along.
“I had a really great relationship, and the coaching staff change altered that, but if that never would’ve happened, it probably would’ve been at the top of the list there as far as coming out of high school,” Adkins said. “But God has a cool way of working things out.”
Adkins’ homecoming will be slightly delayed, as he said staying in New Mexico feels safer than traveling amid the threat of coronavirus.
He called moving closer to home in the San Antonio area a “bonus” of picking UTSA rather than a primary factor in the decision, saying he looks forward to having more familiar faces to turn to in times of need.
“I thought I wanted to spread my wings and go somewhere new,” Adkins said. “As soon as I got here in Las Cruces, I loved the community and I loved everything about it, but I just thought, ‘Man, San Antonio is pretty great.’ Now I’m getting the opportunity to come back, and I’m blessed for that.”
greg.luca@express-news.net
"looking" - Google News
April 06, 2020 at 03:10AM
https://ift.tt/3dUPpS9
Josh Adkins looking to compete for starting quarterback job as graduate transfer at UTSA - San Antonio Express-News
"looking" - Google News
https://ift.tt/2tdCiJt
Shoes Man Tutorial
Pos News Update
Meme Update
Korean Entertainment News
Japan News Update
Bagikan Berita Ini
0 Response to "Josh Adkins looking to compete for starting quarterback job as graduate transfer at UTSA - San Antonio Express-News"
Post a Comment