By John R. Schirmer
News-Leader staff
Scrapper senior offensive lineman Kirby Adcock signed a financial agreement Dec. 14 with the University of Arkansas at Fayetteville, where he will play football for the Razorbacks.
Adcock, who earned All-District and All-State honors at Nashville, verbally committed to the Razorbacks earlier in the year. He reported to Fayetteville during the weekend and began practicing with the Hogs Monday as they prepare for the Belk Bowl Dec. 29 in Charlotte, N.C.
Athletic Director James “Bunch” Nichols said Adcock is “a young man we’re very proud of in the Nashville Public Schools. We had the privilege of him coming to us a few years ago when he put on that orange helmet. As we like to say in Nashville, ‘Once a Scrapper, always a Scrapper.’ This guy will take it to heart. He’s going from one hill to another.”
Coach Mike Volarvich said Adcock’s signing day was also “his graduation ceremony, since he’s leaving [soon] and will be there Monday to start practice.”
Adcock will practice with the Razorbacks five times, according to Volarvich. He also “will get a head start on his classes” when school resumes at Arkansas in mid-January.
Adcock will participate in spring football and summer conditioning with the Razorbacks.
“When I arrived almost two years ago, Kirby and Cindi [his mother] were two of the first ones I met,” Volarvich said. “I watched film of him from his sophomore year. He was a very talented player.”
However, at 6-3, 255 pounds as a sophomore, Adcock “wasn’t the size for Division I.”
Two years later, Adcock is 6-5, 300 pounds and still growing, according to Volarvich.
There are four factors that recruiters look at while evaluating athletes, Volarvich said.
“Those include 1. transcript, 2. measurables, 3. ability and 4. character. Different programs rank these differently.”
Adcock’s transcript “speaks for itself. He has a 4.0 GPA and is ranked first in a class of 144,” Volarvich said.
The measurables are also obvious, according to Volarvich, as Adcock is two inches taller and 45 pounds heavier than he was two years ago. In addition, Adcock bench pressed 240 pounds as a sophomore and is up to 300 pounds now. His squat performance went from 300 pounds to 375.
“These are tremendous accomplishments. He’s worked on and off the field,” Volarvich said.
Adcock’s ability is another factor which “speaks for itself. He was the only unanimous All-State selection from our conference,” Volarvich said.
As for number 4, character, Adcock is “a great example of what a Scrapper should be. He’s going to go on to Fayetteville and have a great opportunity to be successful on the football field and in life. He will be a very successful and productive member of society.”
Adcock thanked God, his coaches and his parents as he spoke following Volarvich’s comments. “My father [the late Max Adcock] and mother [Cindi] played a big role in my life. I thank my fellow Scrappers for always standing with me.”
Volarvich called selecting a college “a huge decision for a young person. It’s one of the first they make on their own. It’s one of the three most important decisions, including their faith, college and marriage.”
Adcock made “a lot of visits” to colleges, and “Arkansas is the one he wanted to get to. He was ecstatic to get an offer,” Volarvich said. “Arkansas is getting a great person and player.”
