Football
Adams, James
James Adams
- Title:
- Safeties Coach
- Email:
- football@msu.edu
- Phone:
- 355-1647
James Adams was named Michigan State’s safeties coach in January 2025.
Adams has coached defensive backs for the past 16 seasons since beginning his coaching career in 2009 as a graduate assistant at his alma mater in Wake Forest.
He spent the past three seasons (2022-24) at Wake Forest as the safeties coach and helped two Demon Deacons get selected in last year’s NFL Draft (Malik Mustapha, fourth round, 49ers; Sanoussi Kane, seventh round, Ravens). This past season, Adams mentored safety Nick Anderson, who led the ACC with 122 tackles and had two interceptions to earn third-team All-ACC honors.
Prior to getting drafted, Mustapha garnered second-team All-ACC honors in 2023 along with a Senior Bowl invite after collecting 80 tackles. He started in 12 of his 16 games for the 49ers during his rookie season in 2024 with 72 tackles, five passes defended and one interception. Kane played in 15 games for the AFC North Champion Ravens.
During Adams’ first season back in Winston-Salem in 2022, the Demon Deacons won eight games and played in their school-record seventh consecutive bowl game, picking up a win over Missouri in the Gasparilla Bowl. Chelen Garnes, who signed as an undrafted free agent with the Lions in 2024, and Mustapha ranked third and fourth on the team in tackles with 71 and 58, respectively, and combined for 10 tackles for loss, 4.5 sacks, one interception and two forced fumbles.
Adams has previous Big Ten experience, coaching cornerbacks at Purdue in 2021 as the Boilermakers won nine games, finished tied for second in the Big Ten West Division, and beat Tennessee in the Music City Bowl. Purdue ranked 33rd in the FBS in passing defense (208.7 ypg) and fourth in the conference with 13 interceptions.
He spent one season as the cornerbacks coach at Navy in 2020, coaching the Midshipmen to the top passing defense in the American Athletic Conference, allowing just 180.8 yards per game through the air. Adams also spent one year (2019) at Western Michigan as the cornerbacks coach, helping the Broncos reach the First Responder Bowl while mentoring third-team All-MAC cornerback Patrick Lupro.
Adams was one of five staff members to start the football program at Charlotte, serving as the team’s secondary coach while assisting with special teams as the 49ers rose from the FCS level to the FBS level in Conference USA during his eight years (2011-18) with the school.
The 49ers regularly ranked among the nation’s and C-USA’s leaders in pass defense during his tenure, and he was promoted to assistant head coach during his final season in 2018. In the program’s first season in 2013, Charlotte ranked 25th in the FCS with 15 interceptions, and in 2016, the 49ers led C-USA and ranked 14th in the FBS with 16 picks. Under the guidance of Adams, Ben DeLuca earned Freshman All-America honors in 2016, led the nation in forced fumbles in 2017, and finished first on the team in tackles in 2018 en route to playing for the Chargers during the 2021 NFL season.
After a two-year playing career at Wake Forest (2004-05) as a linebacker, Adams began his coaching career as a graduate assistant for the Demon Deacons in 2009 after spending the 2008 season as a recruiting assistant. His first full-time coaching position came at Wofford as the cornerbacks coach in 2010, where he helped the Terriers to the 2010 Southern Conference title with the league’s top passing defense, before going to Charlotte to start the 49ers program.
THE ADAMS FILE
FAMILY: Wife Tori, daughter Londyn, son Royce.
PREVIOUS COACHING EXPERIENCE:
• Graduate assistant at Wake Forest (2009)
• Cornerbacks coach at Wofford (2010)
• Secondary/assistant special teams coach at Charlotte (2011-17)
• Secondary/assistant head coach at Charlotte (2018)
• Cornerbacks coach at Western Michigan (2019)
• Cornerbacks coach at Navy (2020)
• Cornerbacks coach at Purdue (2021)
• Safeties coach at Wake Forest (2022-23)
• Associate head coach/safeties coach at Wake Forest (2024)
PLAYING EXPERIENCE:
College – Two-year letterwinner as a linebacker at Wake Forest (2004-05).
EDUCATION: Bachelor’s degree from Wake Forest in 2006.
POSTSEASON EXPERIENCE:
Coach:
• 2019 First Responder Bowl (Western Michigan)
• 2021 Music City Bowl (Purdue)
• 2022 Gasparilla Bowl (Wake Forest)
NFL DRAFT PICKS (2):
2024: S Malik Mustapha (Wake Forest; 4th round, No. 124 overall, San Francisco); S Sanoussi Kane (Wake Forest, 7th round, No. 250 overall, Baltimore)
ALL-CONFERENCE HONOREES (6 SELECTIONS):
2024 (1; Wake Forest, ACC): S Nick Anderson (3rd)
2023 (1; Wake Forest, ACC): S Malik Mustapha (2nd)
2019 (1; Western Michigan, MAC): CB Patrick Lupro (3rd)
2018 (1; Charlotte, AAC): DB Ben DeLuca (HM)
2017 (1; Charlotte, AAC): DB Ben DeLuca (HM)
2010 (1; Wofford, Southern): DB Tommy Irvin (2nd)
Adams has coached defensive backs for the past 16 seasons since beginning his coaching career in 2009 as a graduate assistant at his alma mater in Wake Forest.
He spent the past three seasons (2022-24) at Wake Forest as the safeties coach and helped two Demon Deacons get selected in last year’s NFL Draft (Malik Mustapha, fourth round, 49ers; Sanoussi Kane, seventh round, Ravens). This past season, Adams mentored safety Nick Anderson, who led the ACC with 122 tackles and had two interceptions to earn third-team All-ACC honors.
Prior to getting drafted, Mustapha garnered second-team All-ACC honors in 2023 along with a Senior Bowl invite after collecting 80 tackles. He started in 12 of his 16 games for the 49ers during his rookie season in 2024 with 72 tackles, five passes defended and one interception. Kane played in 15 games for the AFC North Champion Ravens.
During Adams’ first season back in Winston-Salem in 2022, the Demon Deacons won eight games and played in their school-record seventh consecutive bowl game, picking up a win over Missouri in the Gasparilla Bowl. Chelen Garnes, who signed as an undrafted free agent with the Lions in 2024, and Mustapha ranked third and fourth on the team in tackles with 71 and 58, respectively, and combined for 10 tackles for loss, 4.5 sacks, one interception and two forced fumbles.
Adams has previous Big Ten experience, coaching cornerbacks at Purdue in 2021 as the Boilermakers won nine games, finished tied for second in the Big Ten West Division, and beat Tennessee in the Music City Bowl. Purdue ranked 33rd in the FBS in passing defense (208.7 ypg) and fourth in the conference with 13 interceptions.
He spent one season as the cornerbacks coach at Navy in 2020, coaching the Midshipmen to the top passing defense in the American Athletic Conference, allowing just 180.8 yards per game through the air. Adams also spent one year (2019) at Western Michigan as the cornerbacks coach, helping the Broncos reach the First Responder Bowl while mentoring third-team All-MAC cornerback Patrick Lupro.
Adams was one of five staff members to start the football program at Charlotte, serving as the team’s secondary coach while assisting with special teams as the 49ers rose from the FCS level to the FBS level in Conference USA during his eight years (2011-18) with the school.
The 49ers regularly ranked among the nation’s and C-USA’s leaders in pass defense during his tenure, and he was promoted to assistant head coach during his final season in 2018. In the program’s first season in 2013, Charlotte ranked 25th in the FCS with 15 interceptions, and in 2016, the 49ers led C-USA and ranked 14th in the FBS with 16 picks. Under the guidance of Adams, Ben DeLuca earned Freshman All-America honors in 2016, led the nation in forced fumbles in 2017, and finished first on the team in tackles in 2018 en route to playing for the Chargers during the 2021 NFL season.
After a two-year playing career at Wake Forest (2004-05) as a linebacker, Adams began his coaching career as a graduate assistant for the Demon Deacons in 2009 after spending the 2008 season as a recruiting assistant. His first full-time coaching position came at Wofford as the cornerbacks coach in 2010, where he helped the Terriers to the 2010 Southern Conference title with the league’s top passing defense, before going to Charlotte to start the 49ers program.
THE ADAMS FILE
FAMILY: Wife Tori, daughter Londyn, son Royce.
PREVIOUS COACHING EXPERIENCE:
• Graduate assistant at Wake Forest (2009)
• Cornerbacks coach at Wofford (2010)
• Secondary/assistant special teams coach at Charlotte (2011-17)
• Secondary/assistant head coach at Charlotte (2018)
• Cornerbacks coach at Western Michigan (2019)
• Cornerbacks coach at Navy (2020)
• Cornerbacks coach at Purdue (2021)
• Safeties coach at Wake Forest (2022-23)
• Associate head coach/safeties coach at Wake Forest (2024)
PLAYING EXPERIENCE:
College – Two-year letterwinner as a linebacker at Wake Forest (2004-05).
EDUCATION: Bachelor’s degree from Wake Forest in 2006.
POSTSEASON EXPERIENCE:
Coach:
• 2019 First Responder Bowl (Western Michigan)
• 2021 Music City Bowl (Purdue)
• 2022 Gasparilla Bowl (Wake Forest)
NFL DRAFT PICKS (2):
2024: S Malik Mustapha (Wake Forest; 4th round, No. 124 overall, San Francisco); S Sanoussi Kane (Wake Forest, 7th round, No. 250 overall, Baltimore)
ALL-CONFERENCE HONOREES (6 SELECTIONS):
2024 (1; Wake Forest, ACC): S Nick Anderson (3rd)
2023 (1; Wake Forest, ACC): S Malik Mustapha (2nd)
2019 (1; Western Michigan, MAC): CB Patrick Lupro (3rd)
2018 (1; Charlotte, AAC): DB Ben DeLuca (HM)
2017 (1; Charlotte, AAC): DB Ben DeLuca (HM)
2010 (1; Wofford, Southern): DB Tommy Irvin (2nd)
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