Purdue Cornerbacks Leaning on Experience Under New Coach James Adams

Fifth-year senior Dedrick Mackey and junior Cory Trice have played in 51 combined games for Purdue football. Behind them, redshirt freshman Anthony Romphf is carving out a role during fall camp while Kentucky transfer Jamari Brown recovers from injury.

Author:
D.J. Fezler
Publish date:
Aug 17, 2021 7:24 PM EDT

WEST LAFAYETTE, Ind. — After James Adams accepted the position as the Purdue cornerbacks coach, one of the first things he did was FaceTime fifth-year senior Dedrick Mackey and junior Cory Trice.

The newly-hired assistant coach quickly wanted to introduce himself and form an early connection with two of the most experienced cornerbacks on the team.

“I wanted to see if they would answer my phone call,” Adams said after practice Monday. “I was pleasantly surprised with a warm reception. They let me know that they're excited about me coming and ready to get to work.”

Adams was born in Washington D.C. and also lived in Germany twice, Florida, South Carolina, Arkansas and North Carolina. His parents were members of the military, and their endeavors took them all over the world.

Before arriving in West Lafayette, Adams served as the cornerbacks coach at the U.S. Naval Academy. He also coached at Charlotte, where he worked under current Purdue co-defensive coordinator and linebackers coach Brad Lambert.

He's also had stops at Wofford and Western Michigan. Now, with the Boilermakers, Adams is tasked with coaching a group that doesn't have much depth behind Trice and Mackey.

In fact, two seasons ago, Trice was playing safety for Purdue.

Purdue junior cornerback Cory Trice during fall camp.

“When I first moved to corner, a lot of guys were around me to help me out,” Trice said. “They gave me a lot of good pointers. I'm just stacking days trying to get better and better.”

Since switching to cornerback, he's developed the athleticism and mentality that Adams says can make him an all-conference player. He even said Trice "could be an all-pro."

“I'm calling him, texting him and he's still in the building,” Adams said. “I think he beat me to the office and would stay later. He's not a guy that just has the physical skills, but he has the willingness and the drive to get out here and put in the work.”

With Mackey on the other end of the defense, the Boilermakers have two players that have a combined 51 games under their belts.

But aside from those two mainstays, Kentucky transfer Jamari Brown is the only other upperclassman at cornerback. Brown, who's dealt with a hamstring injury during fall camp, was a much-needed addition to the depth chart this offseason.

“He's super quick. Physically, he's got the body, he’s got the length that you want at the position, but in and out of breaks in his transition, they’re as quick as anybody we have,” Adams said. “I'm really looking forward to seeing him cut loose and get an opportunity at some live reps.

“He hadn't had many live reps yet, but he's been in the training room every day, developing himself in the meeting room, taking notes. I could probably give him the clicker and let him run a meeting. He's a smart football player. Now, he just needs a lot of reps to get out there and do it.”

With more opportunities for repetitions during fall camp, redshirt freshman Anthony Romphf has taken advantage of them. A former quarterback in high school, he was originally committed to Florida Atlantic to pass the football.

Now at Purdue, his time on offense has actually helped him transition to his position in the secondary.

Purdue redshirt freshman cornerback Anthony Romphf during fall camp.

“I just look at the quarterback's eyes,” Romphf said. “I know what the quarterbacks are doing and the down and distance and all that stuff. In the back of my head, I say I have a quarterback mindset.”

Learning an entirely new position at the collegiate level isn't the only adversity Romphf has faced in his playing career. He was born deaf in both ears, though not 100%. As a kid, he mastered reading lips and uses the ability to his advantage.

“I’m partially deaf but I'm an expert at reading lips,” he said. “I've been going through this my whole life. I just know how to go around it.

“I communicate a lot, especially with the safeties and not just the safeties, the linebackers and the D-ends. I feel like communication is a big part of our defense, and I make sure I do that.”

Should any more injuries occur for Purdue at cornerback, sophomore Nyles Beverly and freshmen Brandon Calloway and Rickey Smith are next on the depth chart. But for now, the team will lean on the experience of Mackey and Trice during the 2021 season.

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