2017 Lemons excited by Vol offer
The offers are rolling in almost as frequently as the grinding workout sessions for 2017 running back Adarius Lemons.
Almost.
A Rivals.com four-star tailback and top 150 player in the ‘17 class, Lemons this week has added multiple offers including from SEC rivals South Carolina and Tennessee.
He isn’t about to slow down, though.
“You know, it feels good honestly. Just offers coming in and stuff like that,” Lemons said. “I’m not really focused in on that because I’ve still got a lot to do. It motivates me just to keep working hard.”
And that hard work, even here in the offseason, consists of two workouts a day, at least five days a week.
“I do two workouts a day. So (the offers) motivate me a lot,” he said. “And it keeps me humble, my mind focused. I’ve got a chance to be something great, but I have to keep working.
“What I do is after school, well I wake up in the morning, drink a protein shake, and then after school we have lifts, probably for about an hour, maybe an hour and 30 minutes and then I go outside and do footwork, pass drills, because seven-on-seven is coming up. Then I go home, maybe have 30 minutes to an hour rest. Then I’ve got a trainer I work with at USG, so I go work with him. By the time I get home (daily), it will be about 8 o’clock.”
Lemons discussed what he likes about the SEC rivals who offered on the same day this week:
“South Carolina, that’s a team I wouldn’t say I grew up cheering but a team I was watching a lot. Me personally, when I was getting in football, I didn’t really know about Marcus Lattimore. Talking to him (this week) was a big deal. Seeing his story, how great he was, how things can happen, that you can’t take life for granted. It gave me motivation to work even harder. Cherish all you have; I’m blessed with the offers and I’m just going to keep working and play it out.
“South Carolina runs the ball well. I like that.”
As for Tennessee, Lemons has long had a digital familiarity with the Vols:
“Tennessee, I actually really liked Tennessee growing up. I used to always play with them on NCAA Football [video games]. It was a mind-blowing moment when they offered. I used to play with this team on a game and now I’m getting offered by the team. Is this real?
“Coach (Larry) Scott, he’s a great dude. He came to offer me and I was actually working out. He was surprised. Said I’ve got nice size. He was like ‘Dang man, keep working and it will get big. Hey I’d like to offer you a scholarship to the University of Tennessee.”
At 6 feet, 2 inches and 187 pounds, Lemons said college coaches have most liked his aggressive style. He’s pushing to weigh 200 before next season, and he’s stayed humble in the process while he also has made proud his grandmother.
“I live with my grandma, and she’s the first person to know about all the offers,” he said. “She’s happy for them honestly. She just wants me to stay right. She’s very proud, happy. She’s a proud a parent you could say.
“(College coaches) feel like I’m a very aggressive runner. Every coach I talk to they’re like, ‘Holy!’ and they say I’m aggressive, like my style and the way I run. One coach at Cincy said I ran like O.J. Simpson. I never had seen him. So I watched him and was like, ‘Whoa, I kind of do run like him a little bit.’ But, I’ve just got to keep working.”
Rivals.com tabs Lemons, who said he’d like to make it up to Tennessee at some point, as the No. 11 running back nationally in the ‘17 class.