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Sports

SLHS Alum Adams Finds Calling at Cortland

Ola Adams, 25, is youngest college football assistant head coach.

Pittsburgh Steelers head coach Mike Tomlin and South Lakes High School grad Ola Adams share a few similarities. Both men hail from the state of Virginia, possess a  passion for the game of football and are football coaching pioneers.

In 2009, then 32-year-old Tomlin became the youngest coach to win a Super Bowl. In 2011, Adams, 25, now a coach at SUNY Cortland, became the youngest active coordinator/assistant head coach in college football 

So it’s no surprise that Adams names Tomlin as his inspiration in the coaching profession.

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“His energy and passion, and the respect that he commands, is something that I really look up to," said Adams. "I even watch him during his games to see how he interacts with his players."

Adams graduated from South Lakes in 2004 and played collegiately at West Virginia’s Concord University.

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Syracuse assistant Jason Rebrovich, who coached Adams at Concord, says Adams' leadership skills belied his youth.

“I had an opportunity to be with him probably more than any other coach in the program," said Rebrovich. "You could tell that he was a natural-born leader. You saw it on the field from a young age. A lot of kids drifted towards him.

 “We put a lot of things on his plate schematically and he was able to direct the defense and really made an impact his freshman season.”

By his fourth game, Adams had already earned a spot on the roster as the team’s starting free safety. He established himself as Concord’s passionate defensive leader and left behind a notable career, which included earning three-time All-West Virginia Intercollegiate Athletic Conference honors and two-time All-Northeast Region honors.

Once his playing career ended, he remained at Concord for a semester to complete his degree in recreation and tourism management. It was during that semester that he got his first taste of coaching when he served as a student coach.

“Once I started coaching there, I knew that was it,” Adams said. 

Adams returned to the Washington area equipped with a bachelor’s degree and ready to enter the professional world. But there was something about the game he couldn’t shake.

“I came home and went on a couple of interviews for a real job. Sitting in there, I realized that this isn’t what I want to do. This isn’t me. This isn’t what I want to do with my life,” he said.

He networked expeditiously, calling his former coaches to inquire about vacancies. Ironically, he landed at NCAA Divsion III Cortland as an assistant defensive backs coach in 2009, where he’d stay for one season.

He joined the staff as a defensive backs coach at West Virginia’s Glenville State College a year later in 2010, a program that has produced football minds like Rich Rodriguez (Arizona) and Terry Bowden (Akron). It was while at Glenville State that Adams received the news that ultimately set his permanent coaching career in motion.

Adams learned that Rebrovich, his former coach at Concord, was leaving Cortland for Syracuse University. His departure left Cortland without a defensive coordinator.

“I left to go to Syracuse and the head coach asked who I thought should replace me,” said Rebrovich. “And I said, without hesitation, it’s got to be Ola.”

Adams received a phone call from Cortland head coach Dan MacNeill requesting an interview and headed back to upstate New York.  

The two had met three months prior at the American Football Coaches Association annual convention in San Antonio, and Adams spent an hour talking about defenses with MacNeill and soaking up knowledge and advice from the seasoned 30-year coaching veteran.

But this time, the circumstances were different. Adams was now more confident in his knowledge of the game as he had spent countless hours in preparation dissecting defensive philosophies and studying game film.

“I wasn’t nervous. I feel like you’re nervous when you’re not prepared. I was more anxious to get the opportunity,” he said.

While exicted to get the job as Cortland's defensive coordinator/assistant head coach, he felt some guilt upon leaving his prior program, says Adams' childhood friend, Denver Broncos receiver Eddie Royal.

“He was almost hesitant because he felt so bad about leaving his kids,” said Royal. Adams’ childhood friend. “He felt like he was letting those guys down. That’s just the type of guy he is.”

Adams recently wrapped up his inaugural season as Cortland’s defensive coordinator. His team allowed only 13.9 points per game, finished the year in the top 10 in over 30 defensive categories and helped the Red Dragons reach nine wins.

Adams says he hopes success at Cortland will ultimately lead him to a professional head coach or defensive coordinator job.

“It means a great deal to be moving forward and just getting the experience under my belt, said Adams. “Being able to do it in a year, puts me on a faster path to where I want to go.”

 

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