Adarius Redmond (9) and the Powell Panthers took down the Oak Ridge Wildcats 27-21 in a TSSAA Region 3-5A contest on Hayworth Field at Scarbro Stadium in Powell, Tennessee, on Thursday, Oct. 24, 2019. (Photo by Danny Parker)
Adarius Redmond had no idea what kind of impact he would have in his first season with Powell’s football team last fall.
Turned out it was immediate.
The freshman wide receiver made big play after big play as Powell (12-1) advanced to the Class 5A state quarterfinals before losing to West.
“I was just trying to help my teammates by making plays,” said Redmond, the 2019 5Star Preps Offensive Underclassman of the Year. “I had no idea the year would go the way it did.”
His play didn’t go unnoticed.
Redmond already has multiple Power 5 offers including five from SEC programs: Florida, Tennessee, LSU, South Carolina, and Kentucky.
Powell coach Matt Lowe said Redmond is a special talent.
“For a young man, especially a freshman in high school, to have not only the physical attributes that he has, but just to have the body control, the balance, the athleticism that he possesses is extremely rare,” Lowe said.
“But on top of that, his improvement from July and throughout the season was just absolutely incredible. His position coach, Adam Seymour, did a tremendous job getting him ready for Friday nights, but in every single Friday night, there was no situation that was too big for him.
“We continued to put him up against some of the best defensive backs in this area, and there’s some very talented kids in this area, and week by week he continued to amaze even us with some of the plays he could make.”
Redmond finished the season with 28 catches for 678 yards (24.2-yard average) and 12 touchdown catches.
It was quite the jump in competition, too, moving into the Panthers’ program in one of the state’s most competitive Class 5A regions.
Redmond played the 2018 season in youth football for the Knoxville Falcons while attending First Lutheran School.
He’s surprised be so heavily recruited this early.
“It’s very exciting, and it’s very humbling,” Redmond said.
He’s also going through a new extension of his football training – full-bore offseason strength and conditioning work.
Redmond (6-1, 185 pounds) works out with his teammates from 6:30 to 8 a.m., three days a week.
“This is new to me,” he said. “It’s going good. It will help me get better, get stronger.”
While getting stronger, Redmond wants to work on his route running before the 2020 season.
“I’ve just got to keep working hard and work with my teammates,” he said. “I just want to continue improving and help my team win games.”
Lowe said Redmond has a big opportunity in football.
“His future is everything that he wants to make of it,” Lowe said. “Bottom line, he’s got tons of talent, he’s got tons of growth left to accomplish, but he’s one of those young men that works extremely hard, does a great job, and could certainly change his life (through football), whether at the collegiate level with a degree, or certainly even beyond that.
“He’s got that type of ability.”