Adams passing leaves a big hole in the heart of the Jackets' program

Sunday brought perhaps the worst news possible for anyone who follows Georgia Tech sports and the Yellow Jacket football program. One of the bright lights and biggest hearts on the roster the last several seasons was defensive tackle Brandon Adams. Adams passed away unexpectedly on Saturday and the news of his death trickled out throughout Saturday night and Sunday morning. Adams always brought a smile to workouts, practices and in the classroom that was infectious to anyone in his orbit.

A talented defensive lineman, Adams projected as a NFL draft pick in the 2020 draft and was the highest rated regular defender during the 2018 season by Pro Football Focus and expected to be an All-ACC level defender. The Nashville native had long been a fan favorite with his big smile lighting up the sidelines during games.

At a loss for how to cover such a tragic event, I thought that seeing the words of his friends and teammates would perhaps due him a little justice.

Former Yellow Jackets head coach Paul Johnson was on vacation in Florida when he got the news Sunday morning. He was on his way back to Atlanta to be with the Adams' family and shared his immediate thoughts.

"It is terrible he is such a great kid and you just never know what will happen. This is the third time in my coaching career it is happened. Usually it is an accident. He was just an amazing young man and always had a smile on his face," Johnson said.

The person closest to Adams from when the Jackets initially recruited him was former Tech assistant coach Andy McCollum. McCollum lured Adams away from his commitment to Vanderbilt and got him to leave the Nashville area and come to Atlanta and the two remained close.

"Unbelievable kid and what he stood for. I just Big B, loved everybody and treated everybody kind, words can't describe him or what it means. The blessing of it all is you know where he is at in heaven. He lived a great life and had the biggest heart anyone around him would just smile. Loving, kind, great kid, it is a tough loss," McCollum said. "From the day I met him when we started recruiting him, he was always such a happy young man."

Former Jackets' defensive line coach Jerome Riase was crushed by the news. He had spent time with Adams recently and had stayed in touch.

"He had so much ahead of him. He was a unique person and he was a different dude. He was big into learning about everything, government or astrology and during meetings i would give him time to talk about his 911 theories and government theories. He was a really humble nice kid. Everybody got together for Kyle Cerge-Henderson's daughter's birthday that was the last time I saw him. It was a meeting with the whole group missing only Desmond Branch who isn't in town. We talked about the transition and we talked it about it often, I thought it was realastic for him to play on the next level. He had a niche as a 3-4 noseguard in the NFL. We talked about his family and he was a different spirit," Riase said.

Yellow Jackets head coach Geoff Collins shared his thoughts via a statement.

“Our entire Georgia Tech football family is heartbroken by the news of Brandon’s passing,” said Geoff Collins. “In the short time that I have had the privilege and honor of knowing Brandon, I admired and respected him, first and foremost as a terrific human being, but also as an outstanding teammate and leader. Jennifer and I offer our thoughts, prayers and unconditional support to his parents, Lisa and Reginald, his sister, Rian, and all of his family and friends, especially his brothers in our football program.”