Columbus football player is headed to Georgia Tech

Columbus High School senior Philip Adams had decided no matter which college he went to, he wanted to play football. Luckily for him, a late development will allow him to continue those athletic pursuits.

Adams has officially accepted a preferred walk-on spot at Georgia Tech. The 6-foot-6 Adams expects to play defensive end for the Yellow Jackets.

“It’s a phenomenal education and the opportunity to keep playing football at a high level, which is the best of both worlds for me,” Adams said. “It was relieving because the whole recruiting process has been difficult and just crazy. It was vindicating to know that all my late nights studying, early morning workouts, all the sacrifices I’ve made and the people who’ve helped me get here were beginning to pay off.”

The chance to play at Georgia Tech entered the picture late for Adams, who had 51 total tackles, 7 tackles for loss, 4 deflections and 1 sack in his senior year at Columbus.

After receiving interest from schools such as Yale and Davidson, Adams seemed set on going to the University of Chicago to play at the Division-III level. Adams reconsidered his options after looking at the cost of attending Chicago, a school which does not offer athletic scholarships.

Once Adams was accepted at Georgia Tech, he reached out to Columbus High School football coach Phil Marino, who put Adams in touch with some of the Yellow Jackets coaches. After seeing what Adams had to offer, Georgia Tech gave him a preferred walk-on spot.

Marino said he thinks Georgia Tech has landed an athlete who will prove to have plenty of upside.

“I think getting that coaching every day from a particular position coach is going to help him tremendously in becoming an even better football player,” Marino said. “He’s going to find some way on the field, hopefully by the time he’s a junior.”

Adams’ athleticism helped him land with the Yellow Jackets, but his academics proved just as important. With a 4.548 GPA to his credit, Adams’ grades benefited him tremendously when it came to finding a place to play.

Adams plans to study industrial engineering at Georgia Tech, a path he feels he is ready for thanks to his time at Columbus High School.

“I couldn’t have been better prepared,” Adams said. “The academics at CHS being what they are, I wouldn’t have been anywhere close to as prepared academically if I had gone anywhere else.”

With his future now set, Adams thought back to when he picked up the game at about 8 years old. He remembers falling in love with the sport and his father, Philip, telling him if he worked hard enough he could play on Saturdays in college one day.

It took some time, but Adams has finally secured that dream.

“It still doesn’t feel real, to know that I have a shot to keep playing football at a D-I, Power 5 school,” Adams said. “I know there’s a ton of work ahead of me – more than what has gotten me here – but I’m ready to get to work and compete from day one.”

This story was originally published March 23, 2018 at 4:30 PM with the headline "Columbus football player is headed to Georgia Tech."