AJ Adams didn’t want to come to Lawton.
After all, things were working quite nicely for him at Grayson High School in Loganville, Ga.
Adams bided his time as a backup on the Rams’ football team as it claimed a state championship in 2016 and a runner-up finish in 2015, and after the 2017 campaign wrapped up, it was finally his time to prove himself as a starter on one of the top teams not only in Georgia, but in the nation.
Grayson has consistently finished in the Top 100 of the Max-Preps national polls since 2015, finishing as high as No. 4 and No. 6 in the Xcellent Top 25 and the Freeman Rankings, respectively, in 2016.
The Rams ranked No. 75 in the nation last season after posting a 10-2 record, losing to eventual Class AAAAAAA champion North Gwinnettt, 35-28, in the second round of the playoffs.
Adams, a junior, will still get his chance to start, but it’ll be as a Wolverine at Lawton High.
Adams lived with his mother in Georgia for five years, and in 2017, a decision was made to have him live in Oklahoma with his father. By January, Adams was enrolled at LHS.
“I didn’t want to move here, but I had to move here,” Adams said. “I’m 17, and I’ve never really lived with my dad. He just felt like it was that time that he stepped up and took his place (in my life). He wanted to teach me things that my mom couldn’t but a man could. That’s what he was thinking."
One concern Adams had about moving to Lawton was exposure.
With Grayson being recognized on a national level, many players have gone on to play for major Division I programs. Since 2015, 21 players from the Rams’ ranks have played at Division I FBS schools. A handful of others have suited up for Division I FCS programs.
Given how LHS operates on a much smaller scale, Adams thought his hopes of playing for a large university had taken a hit. He soon learned otherwise.
“I was about to start (at Grayson) this year as a junior, and I didn’t really know about Lawton,” Adams said. “But at Lawton,” Adams said. “But at Grayson, a lot of university coaches came there. I thought, ‘I’m about to start — there (is my opportunity) right there,’ but then I had to move.”
“Little Breeze (Ryan), though, he knows a lot university coaches. A lot of them come out here, and I didn’t really know. I thought Lawton was small and nobody really came here, but he got OU and a lot of (outof-state) schools to come here. He’s told a lot of coaches about me.”
In addition to the major lifestyle change he underwent, Adams also had to acclimate himself to the harsh temperatures that frequent Southwest Oklahoma.
During the summer months, Grayson normally averages temperatures in the mid-to-high 80s. Lawton, however, experienced temperatures that surpassed 110 degrees this year.
Adams had been to Oklahoma in the past, but nothing could prepare him for the heat awaiting him when he stepped on the LHS practice field earlier this spring.
“The biggest change is the heat,” Adams said. “It’s hot down there, but it’s not as hot as here. I’m used to playing in the heat, but it’s really hot here.”
The heat, combined with LHS’s rigorous preseason training, caught Adams off guard.
According to Wolverines coach Ryan Breeze, though, it didn’t take him long to adjust to the physical demands of football in Oklahoma.
“His first workout, he struggled to get through,” Breeze said. “He bent over backwards, and he threw up on the field as soon as it was over. That’s common for a kid going through his first workout here. As soon as it was over, he came up and apologized for how poorly he looked. He stayed after school to get some extra work in and jogged home. That night, he jogged 2 miles around the block because he was embarrassed. He came back Day 2 and was able to finish the workout, and by Day 3 or 4, he was finishing it and leading it. He has a very tough mentality.
“Typically when a kid struggles on the first day, he’s got a million different excuses, but this kid stood up and apologized for it and came back stronger and progressively got better.”
That work ethic has carried over to the first week of practice and hasn’t gone unnoticed by the coaching staff.
Breeze said he anticipates Adams making a sizable impact on both sides of the ball come this fall. Adams, who is slated to play as both a receiver and a cornerback, figures to use his 4.5-second 40 speed to give opponents trouble in all facets of the game.
“He’s going to end up starting on either side of the ball, and he will play a great deal on whichever side he doesn’t start,” Breeze said. “He’s got really good speed — he’s one of our fastest kids — and he’s very long. We feel like he’s a special talent.”
LHS has been a powerhouse in Class 6A for years, but the program’s last state championship came in 1987, 31 years ago. Despite the change at the top of the program in recent weeks, the Wolverines are slated to be a favorite to reach the semifinals and beyond again this year.
Adams said he believes the energy he brings on the field will radiate to his teammates and hopefully help the Wolverines get over the hump in 2018.
“I can push people and get people going,” Adams said. “When someone drops a pass or something like that, I’m the type of person to lift them back up to make them want to go back out there and do better. I can go out there and catch a ball and guard people, too, but the most important thing I can do is lift people up.”
Although former head coach Randy Breeze’s resignation in July might have created some uncertainty, Adams said the hiring of Breeze’s son, Randy, made for a smooth transition within the program.
“I feel pretty good about the team because all the things Big Breeze (Randy) did, Little Breeze does,” Adams said. “Little Breeze does stuff a little different, but they have the same mentality. They are the same to me.”
With the losses of receiver/defensive back hybrids Jayquan Lincoln and Dominick Neal, it seems Adams’ transfer couldn’t have come at a better time for the Wolverines. In only a few short months, Adams has already established himself as an asset for LHS to utilize.
If Adams can continue jelling with LHS’s system, there is no telling how dangerous the Wolverines could be in Clas 6AII.
Adams said the thing he is most excited about this season is getting to play with his new teammates.
“We got that bond, and we know how to get stuff done,” Adams said. “We really push each other. We’re going all the way this year.”