James Adams

James Adams, who was hired in Feb. 2022 and is a Wake Forest alum, is set to enter his second season on the Wake Forest football staff as the Demon Deacons safeties coach in 2023.

Over the course of his first season back in Winston-Salem, Adams helped defensive coordinator Brad Lambert to lead a Deacs defense that forced 16 turnovers (seven interceptions, nine fumbles) as Wake Forest won eight games for just the 10th time in the 115-year history of the program. Additionally, the Demon Deacons downed Missouri in the 2022 Union Home Mortgage Gasparilla Bowl, which marked the 11th bowl victory in program history.

With that aforementioned win over the Tigers and a victory in Week 2 at Vanderbilt where the Wake Forest defense was able to force three turnovers, the Deacs defeated two programs from the Southeastern Conference last fall for the first time since 2008, and just the second time in program history the Deacs accomplished this feat in a single season.

As a team, Adams and Lambert’s defense continued a stretch of 30-plus sacks and 85-plus tackles-for-loss as a unit for the third time in the last four seasons (2020).

Individually, Adams tutored safeties Chelen Garnes and Malik Mustapha who ranked third and fourth on the team this past season in tackles with 71 and 58, respectively. The duo combined for 10 tackles-for-loss, 4.5 sacks, one interception and two forced fumbles.

Adams, a two-time letterman at linebacker for Wake Forest, returned to Winston-Salem after spending the 2021 season at Purdue working with the Boilermakers cornerbacks. Purdue won nine games for the first time since 2003 and tied for the second-most wins in program history. The defense ranked 33rd in passing yards allowed (208.7 ypg) in the country and ranked 33rd in FBS and fourth in the Big Ten with 13 interceptions.

Prior to moving to West Lafayette, Ind., Adams spent the 2020 season at Navy as the Midshipmen’s cornerbacks coach. Navy limited its final three opponents (Memphis, Tulsa, Army) to under 300 yards of total offense per game.

Before his lone season at Navy, Adams spent one year at Western Michigan as the cornerbacks coach, helping lead the Broncos to a 7-6 overall record and a spot in the SERVPRO First Responders Bowl. Under Adams’ guidance, cornerback Patrick Lupro earned 2019 third-team All-Mid-American conference honors. He ranked fifth the MAC in interceptions per game (0.25) and seventh is passes defended per game (0.83).

Adams was with Wake Forest’s new defensive coordinator Brad Lambert at Charlotte for eight seasons (2011-18), helping to start the program from scratch. Adams served as Lambert’s secondary coach and assisted with special teams.

The 49ers finished 14th among Football Bowl Subdivision teams with a Conference USA-leading 16 interceptions in 2016 and finished fourth in C-USA in pass defense in 2015, Charlotte’s first on the FBS level. Under the tutelage of Adams, Ben DeLuca, who is currently on the active roster for the Los Angeles Chargers, earned Freshman All-American honors in 2016 while also leading the nation in forced fumbles in 2017 and the 49ers in tackles in 2018.

Adams began his full-time coaching career at Wofford, serving as the Terriers cornerbacks coach (2010-11). Wofford won the 2010 Southern Conference championship while ranking first in the conference in total defense and passing defense.

Adams started his collegiate coaching career at his alma mater Wake Forest as a graduate assistant in 2009. Adams, who played in 20 games at linebacker for head coach Jim Grobe and then-assistant coach Brad Lambert, spent the 2008 season as the recruiting assistant under Ray McCartney.

A knee injury in the 2004 Clemson game forced Adams to miss the remainder of the season, but he bounced back in 2005 to see action in 10 games as a senior and recorded 10 tackles from the linebacker position.

Adams graduated from Wake Forest in 2006 with a bachelor’s degree in sociology.

Originally from Durham, Adams attended Northern Durham High School with former Deacon standout Josh Gattis and didn’t start playing football until his sophomore year of high school. Adams was named to all-conference, all-area and all-region teams at Northern Durham, where he was coached by Gary Merill, a former teammate of McCartney at Guilford College.

Adams, a native of Durham, N.C., graduated from Wake Forest in 2006. He and his wife, Tori, have a daughter, Londyn, and a son, Royce.