Cal's 2010 lineman is all business

July 9, 3:17 AMCal Bears ExaminerRob Calonge

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Chris Adcock (#75) and brother Garrett (#79).
(Photo by Christina Adcock)

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At 6'3" and 301 lbs., There are few opponents that can size up with Cal's 2010 offensive lineman commit, Chris Adcock -- especially in high school.

Not only is he big, but he's also strong and athletic.  His fastest 40-yard dash is listed at 4.92s, he dead lifts 670 lbs., squats 550 lbs., benches 340 lbs., can power clean 270 lbs., and he has a 28" vertical leap.

* - Edit : His bench is now at 355 lbs.!

With Adcock, it's not all about football.  No, you definitely can't give him the 'dumb jock' label.  Currently, he holds the top GPA of his class, at a little over 4.0 due to taking college level classes.

And it's not just his grades -- he scored a 1420 (verbal and math) on his SAT.

With a year left of high school ball, Adcock returns as a state champion with hopes of his Dallas Christian High School team repeating their 14-0, 2008 season.  On that team, Adcock was the starting left tackle, deep snapper, and he even played defensive tackle during the playoffs.

I talked with Adcock this week and found him to be a very confident and humble young man.  There were times during our conversation that I left the door open for him to affirm how good he was, but it never happened.

He's just not that sort of guy.  He's all business and when he's on the football field, his opponent gets the receiving end of it.

Only three other schools have offered besides Cal, (Rice, San Diego State, and Kansas State).  Something tells me that there are going to be some coaches in the Big 12 kicking themselves for not recruiting this budding star when they had the chance.

Here's some of what we talked about:

Q: What tipped the scales in Cal's favor when it came down to committing?

Adcock: Well first, the visit went really well. I really like the area and I also have family out in California.

(His mom is from Merced and his father played at U.C. Davis after being from Vacaville.)

Q: There aren't many guys your size in high school.  Do you think you're strong enough to handle the larger opponents of the Pac-10?

Adcock: I think I'm definitely strong enough.  I think I can handle it.

Q: What are your strengths as a player?

Adcock: I'm aggressive.  I'm gonna' get it done no matter what and I'm not gonna' give up, and get better at whatever I need to fix.

Q: What are your weaknesses?

Adcock: My weaknesses?  At the end of last year, it was probably my pass blocking was a little bit weak, but I've been working on that with camps and stuff and it's gotten a lot better.

Q: So your biggest focus right now is shoring up your pass-blocking skills?

Adcock: I'm definitely trying to work on that more and just overall.  I'm always trying to get better.

Q: Which do you enjoy more, offense or defense?

Adcock: I like offense better.  Defense, I think is probably a little easier, but I like playing offense.

Q: Why offense?

Adcock: I don't really know.  It's been my primary position I guess, that's where the team needs me.  It grew on me I guess.

Q: When I think of defenders, I think of someone nastier than that of an offensive player.  Do you get to be nastier on defense than offense?

Adcock: I think that's true and it's also a little bit stereotyped a little bit.  I think that with defense, you don't have to think as much I guess.  You just kinda' go.

Q: What's it like when you get to put somebody on their backside during a run play?

Adcock: That's what I play for.  That's what linemen live for?

Q: What do you like the most about offense and defense?

Adcock: I don't know if I could really answer that.  In the past, I haven't gotten to play a whole lot of defense.  This year...like I had to play in the playoffs -- this past year -- when it really came down to it, they put me and my brother in.  This year, I'll play a lot more defense.

(His brother Garrett is the left offensive guard (#79) and a sophomore next year.)

Q: What do you plan on majoring in at Cal?

Adcock: Either pre-med or engineering.  I'm not really sure yet.

Q: What's your favorite class?

Adcock: I like science classes and math class.  Stuff like that.

Q: What science class are you taking your senior year?

Adcock: I signed up for physics.  (He just finished up college biology.)

Q: When people outside of the state think of Texas high school football, the show Friday Night Lights is usually what they think of.  Does that accurately depict what it's like to be a high school football player there?

Adcock: I'd say that's an extreme, but I'd say that it probably does happen in the little towns out there.  To a degree, Texas is football crazy usually, but not that crazy.

Q: Did you have a favorite college team growing up?

Adcock: Growing up, I didn't really have a real favorite team, but I love college football.

Q: What sort of activities do you do outside of football?

Adcock: I like fishing and hunting, and I spend a lot of time with the football guys, working out and stuff.

Q: What do you normally fish for?

Adcock: Large mouth bass is what is around here.

Q: What do you hunt?

Adcock: Growing up, I dove hunted a lot, but we started deer hunting a little bit the last couple of years.

(He also tells me that he hunts wild pig with friends, using dogs and knives -- the next time we talk, I'm going to get more detail on this.)

Q: Did you have trouble killing your first game?

Adcock: Deer hunting was a little bit different.  Dove hunting, I think I was just so into the hunt that I didn't have a problem, but deer hunting was a little bit weird the first time.

Q: As an offensive lineman, keeping up your weight is part of your job.  What is your favorite meal?

Adcock: Anything my grandma cooks, pretty much.

Q: What's your favorite movie?

Adcock: It changes.  My all-time favorite...probably Braveheart.

Q: Do you have a little Braveheart in you?

Adcock: Yeah, I like to think I do.

Q: What about the movie do you like?

Adcock: I think it kind of relates to football a little bit.  I think it can kind of be put that way.  With just kind of the whole war thing...The way me and my dad have always looked at it, football is the closest thing you can get to that nowadays.

Q: Favorite video game?

Adcock: Don't play a whole lot of video games.  I'll play, like when friends come over we'll play or whatever, but I don't usually play by myself or anything.

Q: What's your favorite color?

Adcock: Blue - my school's blue, so I like that.

Q: Your new school is going to be blue too.

Adcock: Uh-hmm, different shade, but still blue.

Bear Backers will be happy about that!

In case you haven't seen his 2008 highlight video, you can watch it below.  He's wearing jersey #75, but he won't be very hard to find.  Just look for the guy pile-driving people.  You'll also notice his brother Garrett who wears #79.  For more videos and information about Chris, visit his personal website at http://www.chrisa2010.com/.

* A special thanks to Chris' biggest fan -- his mom Christina -- for helping make this interview possible