Gaines Adams1

Gaines Adams1 Biography
Adams Fact: Tied for 15th in Clemson history in sacks (15.5); he needs 13 to break Michael Dean Perry's 19-year old Tiger career record.

Years Lettered: 2003,04,05

Years Starter: 2005

Bowl Participation: Reserve defensive end in the 2004 Peach Bowl against #6 Tennessee; starting defensive end in the 2005 Champs Sports Bowl against Colorado.

Fall 2006 Depth Chart Position: First-team bandit end

Overview: One of the top defensive players in the nation entering the 2006 season...rejuvenated the tradition of the Bandit end last year with an outstanding junior year; the term had been used in the 1980s, including Clemson's National Championship team of 1981 when Andy Headen starred at the position and even knocked down a pass downfield on the last play of Clemson's victory over Nebraska in the Orange Bowl...listed as the second-best, draft-eligible player in the nation regardless of position by ESPN's Mel Kiper; ranked #2 on his "Big Board"...first-team preseason All-American according to Playboy, Lindy's, and Phil Steele...Clemson's first Playboy All-American since Robert Carswell (2000)...ranked as the #2 defensive end in the nation by Lindy's and Phil Steele...named to the preseason watch list for the Ted Hendricks Award, Bednarik Award, and Bronko Nagurski Award...preseason All-America candidate by Football Writers Association...ranked as the #6 NFL prospect for the 2007 draft by Lindy's and #7-most likely player to win the Bronko Nagurski Award by Lindy's...preseason ACC Defensive Player-of-the-Year by Lindy's...#9 defensive end in the nation by Sporting News...ranked as ACC's #3 NFL prospect by Lindy's...preseason first-team All-ACC by Athlon, Lindy's, Sporting News, USA Today, and Phil Steele...considered turning pro after his junior year, but decided to return for his senior year...top returnee in the ACC in terms of sacks; he had 9.5 in 2005...active player who can deflect a pass at the line of scrimmage or downfield...for his career, he is a veteran of 35 games; he has missed just one game in three years...has made steady progress each year he has been at Clemson, as he has gone from 15 to 35 to 56 tackles in his three years...his 15.5 career sacks and 27 career tackles for loss are among the top-20 totals in Clemson history...has 14.5 sacks over the last two years, more than any other active Tiger...has had at least one tackle for loss in 15 of his last 23 games...has more career quarterback pressures (41) than any other Tiger, as 29 of them took place in 2005, a school record for one year...has 15 career pass breakups, among the top figures in Clemson history for a defensive lineman...has a 345-pound lift in the power clean that is fourth best on the team...has a 380-pound lift in the hang clean that is sixth-best on the team...no relation to former Clemson All-American and current Carolina Panther Keith Adams.

2005: Tied for fourth in the ACC in sacks (9.5)...finished the season with 56 tackles to rank sixth on the team, but first among defensive linemen...finished the season strong with 16 tackles, including eight tackles for loss and 4.5 sacks over the last three games, all Tiger wins; that includes the win over Colorado in the Champs Sports Bowl when he had seven tackles, including two sacks and a caused fumble...honorable mention All-America defensive lineman by Pro Football Weekly...Honorable Mention All-ACC selection...started all 12 games...his 6'5" height had a lot to do with his nine pass breakups, most on the team...first Clemson defensive lineman to lead the team in pass breakups since Mark Heniford in 1977...his nine pass deflections were the most by a Tiger defensive lineman for a single season in school history...his 9.5 sacks established a school record for a junior, breaking the record of nine set by Michael Dean Perry in 1986...tied for third in the ACC in caused fumbles (3)...his 15 tackles for loss were most on the team and sixth in the ACC...named ACC Defensive Lineman-of-the-Week for his performance against Maryland when he had eight tackles and 2.5 sacks...Clemson's defensive player-of-the-game for his performance against #16 Florida State when he had 2.5 tackles for loss and 1.5 sacks to go with three quarterback pressures...went over the 100 mark in career tackles in the win over Colorado...made at least two tackles in every game and has a steak of 25-straight games with at least one tackle...had at least four tackles in each of the last nine games...had a career-high eight tackles in the win over Maryland in 60 snaps...had 2.5 sacks in the win over Temple...finished the year strong with 2.5 tackles for loss against #16 Florida State and three against #19 South Carolina, then 2.5 against Colorado...had a sack that caused a fumble in each Tiger win over a top-20 team to close the regular season.

2004: Had 35 tackles, including eight tackles for loss, five of which were sacks...tied for second on the club in sacks and tied for 10th in the ACC...a strong contributor on special teams; he had two blocked punts, one against Utah State that resulted in a Clemson touchdown and one against South Carolina...first Tiger defensive end to record two blocked punts in one season, another example of his all-around athletic abilities...had at least one tackle in every game, including a season-high six stops against Wake Forest...had two sacks to go with the blocked punt against Utah State; named Clemson's Special Teams Player-of-the-Week for that performance...11th on the team in tackles overall; he was second among non-starters...had at least one tackle for loss in seven of the 11 games...started just one game but played at least 21 snaps in every contest...won the 12th Man Award for the Clemson defense in 2004, an honor given to the top non-starter over the course of the season.

2003: Second-team defensive end who had 15 tackles in 12 games...four of his 15 tackles were behind the line of scrimmage...played 172 snaps, with 161 of them in the last eight games...played a season-high 27 plays in the Peach Bowl against #6 Tennessee and was a big reason the Volunteers scored just 14 points; had a pass breakup in that game...played at least 20 snaps in five of the last seven games after not appearing on any defensive plays in the first three games...had his best game against #3 Florida State when he had four tackles, including two for loss and a sack...had four tackles and two for loss against Duke...had 13 of his 15 tackles in the last four games...had seven quarterback pressures.

2002: Red-shirted.

Before Clemson: Had 58 tackles, 22 sacks, and two interceptions in 10 games with Fork Union Prep in the 2001 season...three-year starter at Cambridge Academy, where they played eight-man football...had 14 sacks, leading his team to the 2000 state title...had 57 catches for 1,680 yards and 20 touchdowns in 2000...had 78 solo tackles along with five interceptions as a defensive end...had 158 career receptions for 4,394 yard and 65 touchdowns...had 341 tackles, 10 interceptions, and 33 sacks in his career...two-time all-state honoree...All-Lakelands A Player-of-the-Year as a senior...three-star prospect by Rivals100.com...played for Steve Taneyhill (former South Carolina quarterback) in high school and prep school football under John Shuman...chose Clemson over Georgia, Maryland, North Carolina, South Carolina, and Virginia...born June 8, 1983.

Gaines Adams1

Gaines Adams1

Gaines Adams1

Gaines Adams1

Gaines Adams1

Gaines Adams1

Gaines Adams1

Gaines Adams1

Gaines Adams1

Remembering Gaines Adams