JUNIOR ADAMS

Co-Offensive Coordinator / Wide Receivers

Junior Adams joined head coach Dan Lanning at Oregon as co-offensive coordinator and wide receivers coach on January 3, 2022, adding another proven talent developer with play-calling experience to the Oregon staff. Prior to coming to Eugene, Adams spent three seasons as the wide receivers coach at Pac-12 North rival Washington.

"Junior Adams has tremendous experience on the West Coast both as a player and a coach, as well as knowledge and familiarity working in the Pac-12 Conference,” Lanning said at the time of the hiring. Coach Adams is a terrific teacher and mentor of young men, and I am excited for our student-athletes to get the opportunity to learn from him. He has a track record of developing NFL talent at the wide receiver position, and I am looking forward to seeing him develop some more playmakers here at Oregon. His experience as a play caller will be extremely beneficial to our staff as we work to install our offensive system here at Oregon.”

Adams has been a wide receivers coach at six colleges as well as Prosser (Wash.) High School. Prior to taking the job at Washington, he was the offensive coordinator and receivers coach at Western Kentucky. Among his other collegiate stops was a five-year stint at Eastern Washington, where he recruited and mentored current NFL superstar and Super Bowl LVI MVP Cooper Kupp. 

"I have had a lot of coaches throughout my career as a football player," Kupp said. "None have had a greater impact on me than Coach Adams. His ability to coach the wide receiver position is unmatched due to his knowledge of the game as a whole, as well as ability to maximize the potential of every one of his players physically and mentally. The best there is."

As a player, Adams won the 2001 Fiesta Bowl at Oregon State before transferring to Montana State for his final two seasons as a student-athlete. He was an honorable mention All-American in 2002 and several of his performances still rank among the top-10 in Bobcat history.

Washington (2019-21)
Adams’ three seasons at Washington showed his strength as a recruiter and talent developer as he coached up several talented receivers. After graduating an experienced class of pass-catchers in 2019, Adams recruited multiple top receivers to Montlake and saw three players top 400 receiving yards during his final season with the Huskies.

The results of Adams work in his first two seasons began to show during the 2021 campaign. Two of his top recruits, Jalen McMillan (470 yards) and Rome Odunze (415 yards) finished first and third on the team in receiving yards while combining to catch seven touchdowns. Sophomore Terrell Bynum was second on the team with 436 yards while snagging four touchdowns.

Adams developed several young receivers during the COVID-shortened 2020 season, including sophomore Puka Nacua (9 catches, 151 yards) and Bynum (8 catches, 130 yards). The Huskies went 3-1 while scoring 30.2 points per game and finishing fifth in the Pac-12 in passing offense (226.5 yards/game). Adams was ranked in the top-10 of the 247Sports recruiter rankings after helping the Huskies bring in four-star receivers McMillan and Odunze.

In his first season at Washington, Adams oversaw an up-and-coming receiving corps that showed continued improvement over the course of the season. Senior Aaron Fuller led the team with 59 receptions for 702 yards and finished his career No. 7 in UW history in both receptions (159) and receiving yards (2,051).

Western Kentucky (2017-18)
In his first experience as a coordinator, Adams directed a high-flying passing attack that helped Western Kentucky make the 2017 Cure Bowl. He coached six All-Conference USA players at WKU and mentored quarterback Mike White before he was taken by the Dallas Cowboys in the 2018 NFL Draft.

Adams mentored three All-Conference USA players in 2018. Offensive lineman Miles Pate and tight end Mik’Quan Dean earned all-league second-team honors while receiver Lucky Jackson earned honorable mention recognition. Among tight ends, Dean led the conference in touchdowns and finished second in receiving yards.

In 2017, the Hilltoppers led Conference USA and ranked seventh nationally in passing offense (335.0 yards/game) while also ranking eighth in the nation in completion percentage (66.0). White led the league in passing yards (4,177) and finished second in passing touchdowns (25) en route to being named second-team All-Conference USA. Jackson, Nacarius Fant and Deon Yelder earned All-Conference USA Honorable Mention recognition after all three finished in the top-15 in the league in receiving yards.

Boise State (2014-16)
Adams took his first FBS football job at Boise State in 2014 and helped the Broncos go 31-9 over his three seasons with the team. He mentored three All-Mountain West receivers including two-time first-team selection Thomas Sperbeck. He earned the title of Passing Game Coordinator before the 2016 season.

The Broncos went 10-3 in 2016 while leading the Mountain West in passing offense with 298.3 yards per game. Sperbeck led the league with 80 receptions and finished second with 1,272 receiving yards. In 2015, Sperbeck set the Boise State single-season record in receiving yards (1,512) while tying the single-season reception record (88), leading the league in both categories. Sperbeck earned first-team All-Mountain West honors. As a team, the Broncos ranked 13th in the nation with 304.8 passing yards per game.

In his debut season, Adams' wide receivers contributed to an offense that ranked ninth nationally in scoring (39.7) and 14th in total yards (494.3). Boise State went 12-2 overall, winning the 2014 Mountain West Championship and the Fiesta Bowl. Sperbeck earned Fiesta Bowl Offensive MVP after hauling in a game-high 12 passes for 199 yards.

Eastern Washington (2009-13)
Prior to moving up to the FBS, Adams coached receivers for one of the top FCS teams in the nation and helped lead Eastern Washington to three FCS National Semifinal appearances and the 2010 FCS National Championship. Adams also recruited and mentored 2013 Jerry Rice Award winner Cooper Kupp, who went on to be drafted by the Los Angeles Rams. In each of Adams' five seasons with the Eagles, the team finished in the top-10 nationally in passing offense.

In 2013, the Eagles ranked fourth-nationally in passing offense (349.8) and had two receivers ranked in the top-10 nationally in receiving yardage. Cooper Kupp led the nation in receiving yards with 1,691, the fourth-most in FCS history, while senior Ashton Clark ranked sixth with 1,233 yards. Kupp went on to become just the second freshman wide receiver since 1990 to earn first team FCS All-America honors (Randy Moss, 1996). Kupp's 14-consecutive games with a receiving touchdown also broke the FCS record.

The Eagles graduated a trio of wide receivers following the 2012 campaign, and each recorded a 1,000-yard season and earned All-America honors. Nicholas Edwards and Greg Herd accomplished the feat in 2011, and Brandon Kaufman did it in 2010, when he broke the FCS record with 1,850 receiving yards. The trio concluded their careers with combined totals of 601 catches, 8,713 yards and 83 touchdowns.

Chattanooga (2008)
Prior to moving back to the Pacific Northwest, Adams coached running backs at Chattanooga for one season. The Mocs ground game totaled up 1,358 yards. Erroll Wynn led the backs with 672 rushing yards and Shaun Kermah added 263 on 3.9 yards per carry.

Prosser (Wash.) High School (2007)
Adams continued his coaching career under legendary Prosser High School coach Tom Moore. The Mustangs went 14-0 and won the WIAA State Championship with Adams coaching wide recievers and kick returners.

Montana State (2004-06)
Adams began his coaching career as the wide receivers and kick returners coach at Montana State. He coached Rick Gatewood to Big Sky Newcomer of the Year honors in 2004 along with back-to-back first-team All-Big Sky selections.

Bobcat recievers set several school records during Adams’ three seasons in Bozeman. Gatewood still owns the top spot in career receiving yards per game (97.7), and Gatewood and Ricky Jefferson put together the best receiving games in school history with 235 and 239 receiving yards respectively. Montana State has only had two games where three receivers totaled 100 yards apiece. Both came with Adams coaching the position. The Bobcats have had seven games with two receivers eclipsing 100 yards. Adam coached the wideouts during three of those contents.

Playing Career and Personal
Adams was a standout wide receiver himself at Oregon State and Montana State. Adams still ranks in the top 10 in Montana State history in terms of receiving yards (1,635), despite having played for the Bobcats for only two seasons. His 66 receptions, 983 yards and eight touchdowns in 2002 also all still rank in the top-10 in MSU history. He earned honorable mention All-America and first-team All-Big Sky recognition in 2002 after earning second-team All-Big Sky honors as a junior in 2001.

Among numerous highlights at MSU, he caught the game-winning TD in a 10-7 victory over rival Montana, which gave the Bobcats a share of the conference title. Adams also lettered twice at Oregon State (1999-2000), where he was a part of the Beavers team that went 11-1 and won the 2001 Fiesta Bowl against Notre Dame.