When Montravius Adams arrived on campus at Auburn, he was a five-star recruit who was considered a significant signing of Gus Malzahn's first recruiting class. While he was a solid contributor his first three seasons, he never reached his potential as one of the elite defensive talents in college football.
He didn't reach that potential until now, anyway.
Through five games this season, Adams has wreaked havoc, tallying 15 tackles and 2.5 sacks. However, defensive coordinator Kevin Steele doesn't think its Adams' numbers that define him; rather, it's what he does when isn't directly making the play.
“He’s making factors that are affecting our guys and he’s helping other guys even when the number doesn’t go to him," Steele said. "When it’s not his sack, when it’s not his tackle, he’s commanding double teams and making sure that they better keep two guys on him. If he doesn’t, he’s going to affect where the ball carrier has to go, if not to the ground."
Adams' improvement has cemented him as the anchor of Auburn's deep, talented defensive line. Steele credits Adams' willingness to learn and improve as the main factor for his leap in production.
“We challenged him in the spring with some things he needed to improve on," Steels said. "He was a good player – a very good player, very talented – but everybody can improve, and we made a list of those things in terms of pad leverage, use of hands, holding point, being effective in the pass rush and affecting the ball game."
Steele described Adams as "the kind of guy that can affect others around him, both on the other side and our side, by the way he plays."
A sign of how seriously Adams takes Steele's coaching is his blocked field goal in the second quarter against UL-Monroe. If not for the words of wisdom Steele offered to him before the game, he might not have earned Auburn's first blocked field goal since the 2013 Iron Bowl.
"I actually did tell him in the locker room before the game, I said, ‘You know, if they do happen to get in a field goal alignment, do you really think there’s anybody in that locker room that can keep you from getting to the ball?’" Steele said. "I kind of just pulled it out of the air to say it and to challenge him. I guess he took it literally, which was positive.”
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