Blue Adams - Football Coach - Michigan State University Athletics

Blue Adams

Title:
Secondary Coach
Email:
football@msu.edu
Phone:
355-1647

Blue Adams, who has 15 years of coaching experience and has coached both in college and the NFL, enters his second season as secondary coach for the Spartans in 2025. Adams joined the Michigan State staff in December 2023.

"Blue Adams has done an excellent job mentoring and developing defensive backs on our staff," said MSU head coach Jonathan Smith. "He has coached multiple NFL Draft picks and gained valuable experience both playing and coaching in the NFL. He has learned from some of the top coaches in the game, and his emphasis on technique and fundamentals has led to our secondary playing fast and physical while also creating takeaways. Coach Adams is also an excellent recruiter and creates strong player relationships."

Prior to coaching at Michigan State, Adams spent five seasons (2019-23) on Smith's staff as the secondary coach at Oregon State. After helping OSU to an 8-4 record in 2023 to become bowl eligible, Adams has guided six teams to a bowl game as a coach and three as a player while at Cincinnati.

In 2023, Adams coached OSU freshman defensive back Jermod McCoy and senior defensive back Kitan Oladapo, who both tied for fifth in the Pac-12 with nine passes defended (two interceptions, seven pass break-ups). Additionally, senior defensive back Ryan Cooper Jr. was tied for seventh in the Pac-12 in pass break-ups (7) and also had a 67-yard interception return for a touchdown against UCLA on Oct. 14.

Oladapo, who ranked second on OSU’s defense with 63 tackles, earned first-team All-America honors from Pro Football Focus and was the fourth-highest graded safety in the nation; he was also named to the All-Pac-12 Second Team. He became the fourth defensive back under Adams to get drafted with his fifth-round selection by the Green Bay Packers in 2024. In addition, Cooper and Akili Arnold picked up honorable mention All-Pac-12 accolades.

The Beavers ranked third in the Pac-12 in interceptions during the 2023 regular-season with 12 interceptions, also ranking fifth in the conference in passing yards allowed per game (236.2). OSU's pass defense only allowed two pass plays of 50-plus yards, the second fewest in the league.

Adams helped develop former junior college defensive back Rejzohn Wright into a first-team All-Pac-12 selection his senior season in 2022 as the Beavers ranked No. 1 in the Pac-12 and No. 13 in the FBS in team passing efficiency defense. In addition, Jaydon Grant picked up second-team honors after compiling 64 tackles, 4.5 tackles for loss, three interceptions and six pass break-ups. Redshirt sophomore Alex Austin, an honorable mention choice, was drafted in the seventh round of the 2023 NFL Draft by the Buffalo Bills and spent the 2024 season on the active roster for the New England Patriots.

During his first two seasons at Oregon State, Adams coached Nahshon Wright, brother of Rejzohn, who became a third-round NFL Draft selection (No. 99 overall) by Dallas and has spent the past four seasons in the NFL (2021-24). Wright was the highest drafted player in the Beaver secondary in six years.

After being appointed secondary coach following the 2018 season, Adams helped the OSU defense improve by 13.2 points per game allowed and 91.1 yards less allowed in 2019 compared to 2018, as well as also improving in rush defense, points allowed and third down defense.

Prior to his time in Corvallis, Adams was at South Florida from 2017-18, serving as secondary coach and helping guide the Bulls to a 17-8 record during his two seasons. He mentored secondary players Deatrick Nichols and Devin Abraham in earning honorable mention All-American Athletic Conference accolades. USF played in the 2017 Birmingham Bowl and the 2018 Gaspiralla Bowl during Adams' time with the Bulls.

Before his time at USF, Adams spent one season at West Virginia, also coaching the Mountaineers' secondary, helping WVU to a 10-3 record in 2016 and a No. 18 national ranking, playing in the 2016 Russell Athletic Bowl. In Morgantown, Adams coached cornerback Rasul Douglas, who earned All-American honors, along with garnering first-team All-Big 12 honors after being the co-national leader with eight interceptions. Douglas was selected in the third round of the 2017 NFL Draft by the Philadelphia Eagles and has played seven seasons in the NFL, most currently with the Bills in 2024.

Adams had a three-year coaching stint in the NFL with the Miami Dolphins from 2012-15 as an assistant coach, overseeing the safeties and defensive backs. Cornerback Brent Grimes was named a three-time Pro Bowler from 2013-15, while strong safety Reshad Jones earned Pro Bowl accolades in 2015.

Adams started his coaching career at Purdue as a graduate assistant in 2010 before his first full-time coaching stint at Northern Iowa from 2011-12. He helped the Panthers to back-to-back Missouri Valley Conference championships, finishing with final rankings of No. 18 in 2011 and No. 5 in 2012. At UNI, Adams coached first-team All-Missouri Valley Football Conference cornerback Varmah Sonie.

Adams played four seasons in the NFL after being selected by the Detroit Lions in the seventh round of the 2003 NFL Draft. Adams also spent time with the Jacksonville Jaguars (eight games in 2003), Chicago Bears (2004), Tampa Bay Buccaneers (29 games in 2005-06), Cincinnati Bengals 13 games in 2007) and Atlanta Falcons (2008), along with playing for the Rhein Fire (2004) and Montreal Alouettes (2009).

Adams was a four-year letterwinner (1999-2002) at Cincinnati, earning second-team All-Conference USA honors as a junior. He played in the 2000 and 2001 Motor City Bowls and the 2002 New Orleans Bowl with the Bearcats.

A native of Miami, Florida, Adams earned honorable mention all-state and first-team all-county honors at Miami Senior High School.

Adams earned his bachelor's degree in criminal justice from Cincinnati in 2003.

THE ADAMS FILE

PREVIOUS COACHING EXPERIENCE:
• Graduate assistant defensive coach at Purdue (2010)
• Secondary coach at Northern Iowa (2011-12)
• Assistant coach, overseeing safeties and defensive backs with Miami Dolphins (2012-15)
• Defensive backs coach at West Virginia (2016)
• Secondary coach at South Florida (2017-18)
• Secondary coach at Oregon State (2019-23)
• Secondary coach at Michigan State (2024-)

PLAYING EXPERIENCE:
College: Four-year letterwinner as a defensive back at Cincinnati (1999-2002).
NFL: Played four seasons in the NFL (Jaguars, 2003; Buccaneers, 2005-06; Bengals, 2007)

POSTSEASON EXPERIENCE:
Coach:
• 2016 Russell Athletic Bowl (West Virginia)
• 2017 Birmingham Bowl (USF)
• 2018 Gasparilla Bowl (USF)
• 2021 LA Bowl (Oregon State)
• 2022 Las Vegas Bowl (Oregon State)

Player:
• 2000 Motor City Bowl
• 2001 Motor City Bowl
• 2002 New Orleans Bowl

NFL DRAFT PICKS (4):
2024: S Kitan Oladapo (Oregon State; 5th round, No. 169 overall, Green Bay)
2023: DB Alex Austin (Oregon State; 7th round, No. 252 overall, Buffalo)
2021: DB Nahshon Wright (Oregon State; 3rd round, No. 99 overall, Dallas)
2017: CB Rasul Douglas (West Virginia; 3rd round, No. 99 overall, Philadelphia)

ALL-AMERICANS (2):
2023: DB Kitan Oladapo (Oregon State; 1st team, PFF)
2016: CB Rasul Douglas (West Virginia; 2nd team, AP, CBS, FWAA, PFF, USA Today, Walter Camp Football Foundation)

FIRST-TEAM ALL-CONFERENCE PLAYERS (3 PLAYERS; 3 SELECTIONS):
2022 (1; Oregon State, Pac-12): DB Rejzohn Wright
2016 (1; West Virginia, Big 12): CB Rasul Douglas
2011 (1; Northern Iowa, MVFC): DB Varmah Sonie

ADDITIONAL ALL-CONFERENCE HONOREES (21 SELECTIONS):
2024 (1; Michigan State, Big Ten): CB Charles Brantley (HM)
2023 (3; Oregon State, Pac-12): DB Kitan Oladapo (2^nd), DB Akili Arnold (HM), DB Ryan Cooper Jr. (HM)
2022 (4; Oregon State, Pac-12): DB Jaydon Grant (2^nd), DB Alex Austin (HM), DB Ryan Cooper Jr. (HM), DB Kitan Oladapo (HM)
2021 (4; Oregon State, Pac-12): DB Alex Austin (HM), DB Jaydon Grant (HM), DB Kitan Oladapo (HM), DB Rejzohn Wright (HM)
2020 (2; Oregon State, Pac-12): DB Jaydon Grant (HM), DB Nahshon Wright (HM)
2018 (1; USF, AAC): CB Mike Hampton (2^nd)
2017 (2; USF, AAC): S Devin Abraham (2^nd), CB Deatrick Nichols (2^nd)
2016 (1; West Virginia, Big 12): DB Kyzir White (HM)
2012 (2; Northern Iowa, MVFC): DB Garrett Scott (2^nd), DB Varmah Sonie (2^nd)
2010 (1; Purdue, Big Ten): CB Ricardo Allen (2^nd)