Josh Adams
Best Season: (2017) 206 carries, 1,430 rushing yards, 9 rushing touchdowns, 1,531 yards from scrimmage, 9 total touchdowns
Career: (2015-2017) 480 carries, 3,201 rushing yards (6.7 yards/rush), 20 rushing touchdowns, 3,537 yards from scrimmage, 22 total touchdowns
I know I wasn’t the only one invigorated by the short-lived Adams Heisman run as I’ve seen other people wearing the campaign-sanctioned trucker hats at games, but Adams 2017 season was the closest thing the Irish have had to a superstar season at the position since Autry Denson in the late 90s.
Running behind the devastating All-American line tandem of left tackle Mike McGlinchey and left guard Quenton Nelson, Adams fell just seven yards short of the Notre Dame single season record in 2017. That’s including an injury that flared up halfway through the season and three games where he received less than ten carries. Add another 60 carries, 400 yards and 4-5 touchdowns that he missed out on because of that injury and we’re looking at a potential All-American.
[youtube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oBw_wGjMECM&w=560&h=315]
During his first season, he set the single-season school record for rushing yards by a freshman and his performance against Stanford helped the Irish almost clinch a playoff berth. The 2016 season saw him inexplicably not get as many carries as most fans think he should have, but that was rectified as he was the lead dog in his junior season. He was also the most consistent back for the Irish during the decade as three of the top nine single-seasons in terms of rushing yards for the time period were his.
Adams didn’t have the versatility of other Irish backs, but his ability to make one cut and go was devastating. Once he was in the open field, good luck stopping him.
If you enjoyed this you may enjoy which quarterbacks made our All-Decade Team