Khary Adams Ready to Carve Out Role in Notre Dame’s Talented Secondary

Khary Adams made a decision early in his football career to play defense. 

The 6-foot-1, 178-pounder has the frame and athleticism to play wide receiver and produced at a high level there in high school, but Adams always had the mentality of a cornerback.

“My freshman year in high school, we had some receivers, but I didn't like their attitudes,” stated Adams. “They were a little sassy. On defense, you could go smash them. I wanted to go smash them.”

Beyond the physicality, Adams enjoys the chance to take the ball away.

“I just like taking the ball away,” said Adams. “It's just a good feeling when you get that pick, get that pass breakup. It's a great feeling.”

What didn’t feel great early in Adams’ college career was seeing his position coach leave the program.

Cornerbacks coach Mike Mickens departed for the Baltimore Ravens just weeks after Adams arrived on campus. It served as a quick reminder that college football is a business, though Adams was still happy for his former coach.

“It wasn't ideal, but it happens,” explained Adams. “Got to move on. I love the Ravens. I was excited for him when he left.”

And the Baltimore native fully intends to take advantage of that connection down the road in the way of tickets. 

“I'm going to hit him up,” laughed Adams. “He's got to get me something. I love the Ravens.”

One familiar face Adams will see every day moving forward is new safeties coach Jevaughn Codlin, who returned to South Bend last month.

The two built a strong relationship during Adams’ recruitment as Codlin played a key role in bringing the former five-star to Notre Dame before leaving in December to become safeties coach at North Texas.

“That's my dog,” stated Adams. “When I was getting recruited, he was really involved. One of the reasons why I came here is because we had a strong relationship.”

Now Adams will focus on carving out a role in Notre Dame’s deep secondary. He’ll begin at boundary cornerback, a role he believes fits his skill set well.

“I’ll carve out my role and I think I have good man skills,” Adams stated. “We play a lot of man. So, I think that should help my role.”

Adams has a similar build to Notre Dame’s top cornerback, Leonard Moore, and their playing styles share similarities as well.

“I'm physical,” Adams said. “I've got long arms. I can get my hands on people and I'm fast. I can run with most receivers.”

Moore’s speed is one of the more underrated aspects of his game, and Adams has plenty of it himself after running a 10.62 in the 100m during high school.

The two connected during Adams’ recruitment and the early enrollee is eager to learn as much as he can from Moore.

“He's even better,” Adams said of seeing Moore work every day. “He gives me little bits from the game, stuff I should improve on.”

One lesson Moore has emphasized is the importance of eye discipline. At the college level, mistakes are punished quickly and Adams is learning when to stay aggressive and when to dial things back.

“I would say my eyes,” Adams said of where he needs to improve. “I get greedy sometimes.”

He’s also adjusting to the difference between high school and college defenses, particularly when it comes to trusting the players around him.

“If I'm outside leverage, I don't really have to go that hard on the inside,” Adams explained. “Now I've got help. In high school, we’ve got help, but no one really helps. But here, there's more help.”

Adams is now preparing for his first spring practice in South Bend, something Moore didn’t have when he arrived on campus as a June enrollee. 

The next month will be an important developmental period and Adams is eager to take advantage of the opportunity to grow while learning alongside some of the best defensive backs in the country.

“Development gets you to develop,” said Adams. “I knew if I came here, I'd be getting developed while being able to learn from Lenny and Christian (Gray), so it would be better for my development in the long term.”

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