The story of D.J. Adams is one of maturity, more so than anything else.
He was not a multi-year standout at Cleveland High School. In fact, he wasn't even a member of the team when the Blue Raiders advanced to the 2021 playoffs, having been kicked off the team the week before.
Adams needed to grow up. Athletically, he was fine. Confidence was never an issue, as he stepped on the field as a freshman and said he would play Division I football some day. But he's the same kid who had once been kicked off the track team in middle school, the same kid who would drive coaches crazy on a daily basis.
There was always a line, and early on Adams was always trying to cross it.
"There's a lot of guys out there with ability," Cleveland assistant coach Chad Barger said. "They have a lot of talent, but do they have the whole package? Colleges have to be real selective on who they take and where and what, who they find, because of the transfer portal and everything else.
"Normally, it doesn't happen this late, but with DJ the talent level was there; it was just a matter of maturity and understanding what he can do, but he really took a step forward this year in the classroom, on the field and his whole demeanor."
That maturity happened relatively quickly over the span of the last 12 months. The result? The future he always expected, as Adams was announced as one of 16 signees to the University of Tennessee at Chattanooga program Wednesday, with head coach Rusty Wright calling the 6-foot-2, 165-pounder a "local guy with a huge upside. He can run, has great ball skills and I think he has a great future in the secondary."
But at the point of his crossroads last November, Adams went to work. He spent the last year working on academic issues, and the result was the best semester in the classroom in his high school career. He worked to improve on the football field, going to workouts daily at 6 in the morning, and the result was over 600 receiving yards and seven touchdowns as well as being a playmaker on defense (six takeaways) and special teams (80-yard kickoff return for a score).
His mom, Gayle Nash, said that playing for the Wolfpack 7-on-7 summer team gave him a chance to show what Adams was capable of on the field.
"It was crunch time and he started getting confidence in himself," she said. "He was able to show on each side of the field what he can do, so he just took that in and came back and put that in his mind that he was going to make it. We did everything we could to back that up and he just became determined and got his grades right.
"He's just a totally different kid."
But Adams never stopped believing in himself.
"I knew this year in football was going to come to me, but I knew I needed to stay on top of things in school, staying focused," Adams said. "I was focused on one goal and I had to reach it. There were no guarantees, so I just kept my head down during games, tried to put up as many stats as I could and stayed down, but this day is special. I knew this would happen one day, but I never thought it would be me signing here in front of everybody.
"I never thought it would be capable, but I accomplished it."
Now, the next step will be figuring out how he can contribute to a UTC team that has been knocking on the door of its first Football Championship Subdivision playoff appearance since 2016.
"I'd love to get a championship for sure, but I'm really just wanting to see the team come together and rebuild in Chattanooga," he said. "I really want to show other kids in the community and in Chattanooga and Cleveland that you can go to a place that's still here and still make it out. You can chase your dreams and still be in your own city; you don't have to go everywhere else.
"To succeed in life and get things the others have, you just have to work for it."
Contact Gene Henley at ghenley@timesfreepress.com.