Experiences help Adams’ growth
Change has been a central part of Myles Adams’ story at Rice.
But through injuries, schematic changes and personal loss, each hardship has made him stronger.
Adams led the Owls’ defensive linemen with 2½ sacks and five tackles for a loss. But for the second time in his career, a shoulder injury limited his production.
“I injured my right shoulder sophomore season and my left shoulder junior season,” he said. “The left side was more so getting my strength back; the right was getting my mobility back.”
Adams rehabbed with the team’s strength and training personnel into 2019. When he returned to the field, he began dominating from the spring game through fall camp.
He’s emerged as one of the team’s leaders and is expected to be one of the most disruptive linemen in Conference USA.
Part of those expectations can be attributed to Adams’ maturation as a person, player and teacher.
After playing under a new defensive coordinator in each of his first three seasons, Adams is relieved to have a second year in current coordinator Brian Smith’s system. He feels it has enabled him to teach the system to younger players and, in turn, has helped him develop a firmer sense of how Smith wants his defense to function.
“I feel like I have a pretty good arsenal of what I can expect and what I'm going to do in the defense,” Adams said, hinting at the versatility required to play at the next level. “(Remaining in Smith’s scheme) is definitely a big component to me being able to mature in this defense this second year.”
In his final year at Rice, the senior is embracing growth. He said he wants to see the team attack obstacles to better overcome adversity.
But part of that perspective comes from dealing with his own.
Before coach Mike Bloomgren arrived and before former teammates Zach Abercrumbia and Roe Wilkins transferred, the Owls’ defensive line was arguably the tightest knit unit on the team.
In March 2018, the group lost one of its biggest personalities when former lineman Blain Padgett died of an opioid overdose.
“Blain’s passing definitely impacted my life. Football-wise, he was a role model for all of us. He was the guy that I looked to for setting my standard for leading by example,” Adams said. “I just want to play through him. … I feel like he's still here with us on the team and he wants to see us succeed, and I just want to channel that energy.”
The team memorialized Padgett by keeping his name on the online roster and creating a plaque in the weight room that honors him.
Close friends like former Rice punter Jack Fox wore a shirt commemorating Padgett around team facilities or to news conferences last year. Adams made a habit of wearing the shirt beneath his pads on game day—a personal tradition he plans to continue.
When Rice opens its season at Army next Friday, Adams hopes to channel a skill former teammates came to know Padgett for.
“We have to be disciplined,” he said. “(In 2019), I want us to get a chip on our shoulder and just fight through whatever they throw at us and come out on top in every situation.”