NEW BRAUNFELS, Texas — Deuce and Eli Adams do everything together. They play video games with each other. They push each other in offseason training, and they even try to eat together every day.
“If I’m not hanging out with him, I’m usually asleep,” Deuce Adams said.
But if you think the Adams brothers are the same person, think again. Deuce is the engaging, outgoing quarterback who likes to be a vocal leader, while Eli is the quiet, keep-to-himself wide receiver.
“I don’t like to be the loud guy,” Eli Adams said.
The New Braunfels Canyon juniors have been on the same football teams since middle school.
“We’d go on the street in the neighborhood, play catch, run routes, throw the ball with each other,” Eli Adams said. “Just build that connection.”
That’s where the dynamic quarterback-receiver duo took shape.
“If we’re just playing catch, you can tell the chemistry is different,” Deuce said. “It’s really just been a natural connection between me and him.”
The pair shined as sophomores during their first year of varsity last year at Canyon.
“If he sees me down the field, he trusts me. He’ll just throw the ball and I’ll go get it,” Eli said.
Trust that was built through countless reps and a work ethic learned from their father.
“They wanted to know. What did it take? What things did you go through in order to become a decent player?” said Deuce and Eli’s dad, Mike Adams.
Mike Adams was more than just decent. A three-time all-conference player at the University of Texas, he was the all-time leader in nearly every receiving category when he finished his Longhorns career in 1996.
“I played with a chip on my shoulder,” Mike Adams said. “I think you have to have that edge about you in a positive way.”
Adams has taken that attitude into coaching for over a decade. He’s now in his second year with the Cougars as the receivers coach and passing game coordinator.
“My resource was my coaches. And they kind of taught me that work ethic,” Mike Adams said. “How to work hard, how to grind. Nothing comes easy. That type of mentality, regardless of how talented you are.”
It’s something he’s taught from his sons throughout their careers.
“When I was young, he was really, really hard on us,” Deuce Adams said. “But we started to develop into young adults and he’s laid off a little bit.”
“With Deuce, it’s easier because he plays quarterback. I don’t really coach the quarterbacks,” Mike Adams said. “Eli’s a little different, because I do coach him directly. So sometimes that line is a little blurred.”
“He’s hard on me, because he coaches receivers,” Eli Adams said. “It pushes me to be the best every day.”
As players, Deuce and Eli are grateful for the advice from Coach Adams. As sons, they’re grateful for the unwavering support from dad.
“If I didn’t have that, I wouldn’t be the person I am today,” Deuce Adams said.
