McAdams brings raw power to Santa Rita

Matthew McAdams

The rundown: Santa Rita, senior, ATH/MLB, 5-11, 200.

Who he is: McAdams is a superior athlete built with an unbreakable, self-motivating will. He plays with a chip on his shoulder, ready to prove he’s the ultimate alpha male. McAdams speaks with the confidence of a trained warrior and flashes plenty of charm with a full smile and piercing eyes.

First-year coach Felix Jamero compares McAdams’ athleticism to that of former Heisman Trophy winner and Carolina Panthers quarterback Cam Newton. It’s why Jamero plans on giving McAdams plenty of snaps under center in a new up-tempo, no-huddle offense similar to that of Oregon and Auburn.

McAdams will also see time at running back and slot receiver to make sure he gets the ball in his hands as much as possible. His natural position, however, is linebacker. He’s making the switch from outside to inside this year.

Santa Rita was on pace to finish with a winning record last season but the use of ineligible players resulted in the forfeiture of five wins, spoiling what could have been the first trip to the postseason since 2009. On top of that, McAdams said, a handful of players transferred to rival Palo Verde over the offseason.

Proof he’s good: The third-year varsity player is back feeling stronger than ever this season after missing the first seven games in 2014 with a torn meniscus in his left knee. McAdams is a big believer in stretching and being in the weight room as much as possible: He squats 500 pounds and bench presses 270. Despite injuries over the years, McAdams impressed at a Rivals camp in Phoenix last month when he was hand-timed at 4.4 seconds in the 40-yard dash.

Because of his limited playing time due to injuries, schools are just starting to take notice. Northern Arizona University and Pima Community College both like him, and Arizona defensive coordinator Jeff Casteel met with McAdams in late May.

Season goal: With three different coaches coming through Santa Rita’s program in the last three years, McAdams hasn’t received too much guidance on the fundamentals of playing linebacker.

He has mostly relied on his instincts to produce but he’s also been watching film every day. McAdams’ favorite player to watch is San Diego Chargers rookie Denzel Perryman because of his quickness and the way he’s able to carry his weight so fluidly. McAdams believes since his team will be counting on him so much, he needs to stay healthy and on the field to fulfill his goal of giving his team everything he’s got.

He said it: “Gosh, playing Palo Verde is so amazing. Knowing that we have friends that left us to go play for our rivals, it’s like, how dare you betray the squad like that. Like, oh you’re going to get it so bad. It’s an emotional game and it always has been. Even when I was a little kid in the stands watching Palo Verde and Santa Rita, you’d see the intensity and want to be in that.” — McAdams