A little Sour Grapes From Abdul Adams Father

[tjc8214]

By Stephen Bailey

sbailey@syracuse.com,

syracuse.com

Syracuse, N.Y. -- One play and the ensuing coaching decision marked the final straw in Abdul Adams' decision to transfer from Oklahoma.

Then a sophomore playing against Oklahoma State on Nov. 4, the running back sprinted out left, turned to catch a swing pass from Baker Mayfield, bobbled it and ultimately dropped the ball. The play was initially ruled a fumble, but changed to an incompletion after review.

Adams, though, never returned from the sideline that game -- benched for an early miscue twice in the first nine contests of the Sooners' season.

"I think at that point Abdul decided that he just really wanted to leave Oklahoma," Adams' father, Samuel Gaillard, said in a phone interview on Tuesday evening.

Adams, a rising junior and former four-star prospect, transferred to Syracuse football earlier this week and projects to make significant contributions after sitting out the 2018 season due to NCAA transfer rules. SU head coach Dino Babers prevents his new players from speaking before appearing in a game so Syracuse.com caught up with two adults privy to the process -- Gaillard, as well as Wayne Johnson, an assistant coach at H.D. Woodson High School in Washington, D.C., who has long mentored collegiate prospects in the area.


Gaillard pointed to the shift in playing time last year as the primary reason behind Adams' transfer. Before the fall, Adams strongly considered transferring as he began to notice how running backs coach Jay Boulware treated the backs he recruited directly compared to him.

Adams told Gaillard and Johnson about a summer conditioning workout when he was running in the stadium with one of the other backs, who was lagging behind. Boulware greeted the other back warmly without saying anything to Adams.

"Abdul didn't let that get him down," Johnson said. "He never put the coach down or said he had favoritism. He just said that this isn't the place for him."

Gaillard mediated on behalf of the OU coaching staff and Adams consulted with those close to him -- a group that also includes trainer and mentor Sean Washington, who runs Monster Maker Educational & Athletic Center in Marlow Heights, Md. Ultimately, he decided to stay for at least the season.

"When I requested that release, they called me begging," Gaillard said. "They were on their knees begging, 'Please persuade him to stay, The whole season is planned around Abdul.' So they convinced me and I convinced Abdul to stay at Oklahoma."

Adams proceeded to show why he was rated the No. 15 running back in the country coming out of high school, averaging at least 7.6 yards in four of the first five games of the year. Later in the season, he broke a program-record 99-yard touchdown run in a win over Baylor.

 

[bcsoonerfan]

Life ain't easy or fair. Anderson is better. Sermon will be. Still hope Adams find success.

 

[kcstorm06]

I wish him well. He is great player and needed the full spotlight. Go tear up the ACC Abdul.

 

[Tollboothmgr]

I try to follow the guys who transfer out ..generally want them to succeed. i compare it to pro teams with ou alums. don't really care how the team does but like seeing the ex's do well

 

[JConXtsy]

Before the fall, Adams strongly considered transferring as he began to notice how running backs coach Jay Boulware treated the backs he recruited directly compared to him.

If Boulware didn't recruit him directly, who did?

I saw this quote by his father, Galliard, as well, "That's the only fumble he had while playing at Oklahoma, and they never put him back in the game," Gaillard said. "I think that really humiliated him. It humiliated me as a father and I'm still ticked off about that."

Maybe his father should have a little more humility about his son not carrying his family name rather than what he does or doesn't do as a football player. I may be reading into a simple fact too much, but I'm just going with the data in front of me.

 

[Patriotgame]

Adams had consistent turnover problems and, if memory serves, he got dinged up and was overtaken by Sermon and Anderson...

Talent has always been the standard for who gets on the field at Oklahoma.

 

[Schoonerman]

It's got to be tough to see your son get passed up on the depth chart. Despite any hard feelings, I wish Abdul the best at Syracuse and thank him for being a Sooner.

 

[OUSOONER67]

Regardless of how a Father feels, not everyone gets a trophy that participates. I was faster than everyone on my HS team with the exception of 2 maybe 3 guys and I didn't start. I was mainly a track star at my HS not a Star FB player but in my mind I thought my speed alone should have gotten me a starting job. When I got older and saw how the real world really works I knew why I wasn't. Sometimes things don't work out the way we want, its called life and life is never fair, thats just the way it is like it or not. Good luck to the young man.

 

[Sooner_Dynasty]

Abdul could do a lot worse than getting an education and college degree from Syracuse University. From my understanding and little research it is a great school education wise plus the enrollment is 3-1 female vs male according to one website. I'm not a big city fella myself but maybe he'll have a great time in New York as well.

 

[runningback43]

I hope Adams does really well at Syracuse as well. I wish he could have had a better year for us last fall. He has ball security problems. Anderson and Sermon are both quite a bit better than he is as well.

 

[SoonerinLA]

I don't blame his father for the comments he made. Any father would feel the same way. We'll always have that 99 yarder against Baylor. Best of luck to Abdul. Looking forward to him playing and being productive at Syracuse.

 

[roygbell]

This is really a non-issue. The brutal facts are that OU is loaded at the RB spot. Anderson, baring injury, is the sure starter and Sermon has the edge at the 2nd back and to share the majority of the carries with Anderson. Behind them is Sutton and two very talented RBs with four years of eligibility in front of them in Brooks and Pledger.

I hate to lose a kid like Adams as I think he could have been the #3 guy. However, with Sutton, Pledger and Brooks ready to go into Spring practice I don't think OU will miss a beat at the RB slot. Five solid RBs gives OU coaches lots of options.

 

[kcstorm06]

This is really a non-issue. The brutal facts are that OU is loaded at the RB spot. Anderson, baring injury, is the sure starter and Sermon has the edge at the 2nd back and to share the majority of the carries with Anderson. Behind them is Sutton and two very talented RBs with four years of eligibility in front of them in Brooks and Pledger.

I hate to lose a kid like Adams as I think he could have been the #3 guy. However, with Sutton, Pledger and Brooks ready to go into Spring practice I don't think OU will miss a beat at the RB slot. Five solid RBs gives OU coaches lots of options.

What is particularly good is that all have different but solid skill sets. Given Anderson’s rise to top...he gets the lion share of touches. He may be our next Heisman candidate.

 

[Schoonerman]

I believe that most OU fans perceive Adams as having ball security issues as the reason for his diminished playing time in 2017. I tried to find some fumble stats by our RBs in 2017 and didn't find much. I'm assuming the stats I saw were fumbles lost, which showed Adams lost two, Sermon had one and Anderson did not have any lost fumbles. But what sticks out to most of us was the near-fumble vs. OSU early in the game that could have easily swung the momentum toward the Pokes had the replay gone against OU.

If someone knows of a more reliable source for this data, please share