FAYETTEVILLE — Joe Adams doesn’t think about the past much.
He rarely thinks about suffering a stroke during the 2009 season. For a couple of long weeks, he didn’t know if his career was finished, but the good news was it wasn’t a structural stroke and everything is under control now.
He thinks even less about his initial decision to attend Southern California.
“The only thing I think about when I do think about USC is I’m glad I came here so my mom could watch me play,” he said.
Charlotte Allman, his mom, has always been his rock. His touchstone. His inspiration.
So much so he makes special preparations for game days.
“I make sure I get to see her and my family before the game and, of course, again after the game,” he said. “My family has never missed a game, and that makes my playing days here really special to me.”
Adams, who graduated from Central Arkansas Christian, is one of only six fourstar recruits in Bobby Petrino’s first recruiting class, and it wasn’t until after Petrino and his pro-style offense were in place that Adams changed his mind about where to play college football.
“I got together with some other Arkansas guys and we talked it over and decided staying home was the right thing to do,” he said. “I’ve never regretted my decision. I’ve never really thought about it again.
“I’ve loved my time here as a Razorback football player and student. I’ve developed as a player and matured as a person.”
Adams comes into his senior year ranked ninth on the UA career list for touchdown receptions with 14, 11th in all time receptions with 110 and12th in total yards with 1,758.
What makes that amazing is senior teammates Greg Childs and Jarius Wright are right there with him.
They are breathing down each other’s necks in the record books.
Childs has 15 touchdown catches (No. 8), 112 receptions (10) and 1,826 yards (11), while Wright has 12 touchdowns (11), 102 catches (12) and 1,817 yards (11).
Which is why they were nominated for the Pony Express Award, a first-year honor for three team-oriented players.
This week Adams was added to the watch list for the Paul Hornung Award, which is given to college football’s most versatile player.
Adams’ skills as a receiver were obvious immediately, and last season he made a statement by averaging 15.6 yards per punt return. But the loudest moment was the school-record 97-yard punt return against Ole Miss.
That broke the record of 95 yards set by Ken Hatfield in 1963 against Tulsa.
“No doubt about it, that will always be the one play I remember as a Razorback,” Adams said. “In fact, my personal goal this season is to lead the nation in punt returning.”
Adams hasn’t forgotten the way his mom raised him either.
Many of the media were kept waiting Saturday after he and others were sacked outside the designated interview area by television crews.
When he was brought inside, yours truly was told he would get the next interview, only a young female reporter tried to take him and had to be told Adams had been promised by the sports information department.
Adams was told: Sorry, she’s cuter, but I’ve waited longer.
He laughed and said: “Trust me, Mr. Hall, it is OK. I understand.”
Joe Adams has come a long way, but he’s still at home.
Sports, Pages 13 on 08/10/2011