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21 DAYS TO 2017 KICKOFF: Kendall Adams

In which BracketCat counts down the 21st day until the 2017 kickoff with a profile of defensive back Kendall Adams.

#21 Kendall Adams
Kendall Adams (21) put an exclamation point on his first season as a full-time starter with this athletic interception against Texas A&M. Now he is the undisputed leader, along with D.J. Reed, of the defensive backfield in 2017.
Troy Taormina-USA TODAY Sports

#21 Kendall Adams

Redshirt Junior | 6-1 | 221 lbs. | Fort Worth, Texas
Kendall Adams
Kendall Adams
Courtesy Kansas State Athletics
  • Position: Defensive Back
  • Previous College: None
  • Projection: Starter
  • Status: On Scholarship

Kendall Tyler-Jacob Adams (b. Aug. 28, 1995) is an athletic player who has started 18 career games, including each of the last 17 dating back to his redshirt freshman campaign. He will look to take over a leadership role in the defensive backfield as a junior in 2017.

After redshirting in 2014, Adams appeared in 12 games in 2015 with five starts, including starts in each of the final four games of the season. He recovered an onside kick at Texas Tech, the first by a Wildcat since 2008.

Adams recorded 41 tackles — including 30 in the final four games — with 3.5 tackles for loss and a sack; carded a career-high 12 tackles against Iowa State, which featured his first career sack; and also had 1.5 tackles for loss at Kansas.

Last season, he started all 13 games, ranking fifth on the team with 62 tackles, and also picked off two passes and broke up another.

Adams tallied 25 of his tackles during the final four contests (6.25 per game). He recorded a season-high 11 tackles at Oklahoma, one shy of his career high, and collected seven tackles and an interception against Texas A&M in the Texas Bowl.

Adams also registered seven tackles against Texas Tech and Baylor, as well as six against Kansas. He picked off his first career pass against Florida Atlantic and recovered a fumble at West Virginia that helped to halt a potential Mountaineers scoring drive.

Adams lettered three years for All Saints Episcopal High School under head coach Aaron Beck, including his senior year, in which he earned All-Southwest Preparatory Conference (SPC) honors and helped to win a state championship.

He was rated the nation’s 67th-best safety by Scout after he also helped the Saints to win a state championship as a junior, and he registered 226 total tackles and 10 interceptions in his prep career.

Adams also totaled 1,491 career receiving yards and 21 touchdowns on 86 receptions during his high school career, including his senior season, in which he hauled in 47 receptions for 981 yards and 14 scores.

He also lettered in basketball, earning first-team All-SPC honors two times. Adams also was a strong student who was selected to the National Society of High School Scholars.