4-star WR Keylen Adams announces top five schools, sets commitment date

Virginia Beach (Va.) Green Run four-star wide receiver Keylen Adams originally announced his top four schools on Feb. 6. Those programs were Penn State, Pittsburgh, Virginia Tech and West Virginia.

More than three months later, Adams has a new top five. Alabama, Ohio State, Pittsburgh, South Carolina and Virginia Tech made the cut.

Adams has also set a commitment date of July 13.

“I feel like I could go to any of these five schools and make an impact on the team,” Adams told On3. “At the same time, I could get my education and have a better chance of getting to the league.”

Adams will be taking official visits to four of his finalists. They are Pittsburgh (June 2), Ohio State (June 9), Alabama (June 16) and Virginia Tech (June 23). Meanwhile, South Carolina is receiving an unofficial visit from him on May 12-13.

The 6-foot-0.5, 180-pound wideout has already visited the Hokies four times and the Buckeyes, Gamecocks and Panthers once. His official to the Crimson Tide will mark his first trip to Tuscaloosa.

According to Adams, he speaks the most with South Carolina wide receivers coach Justin Stepp and Virginia Tech wide receivers coach Fontel Mines.

“Playing early is important to me,” said Adams, the No. 158 overall prospect and No. 27 wide receiver in the 2024 On300. “If I can get to college and play early and get used to the system and get used to the college game as a whole, I feel like it will be easier for me to grow as a player and as a man on and off the field. It’s really getting used to college in general. I feel like if I can get there and play early, I’ll have a better chance of going to the league because by year two or three, I’ll have a name for myself… and I’ll be more in tune with the game.”

Adams breaks down his top five schools

Alabama: “When you say Alabama, the first thing you think of is the football team. With that as a whole, it’s like, ‘Okay. Clearly, they’ve been doing something right.’ Once you get into it with the coaches and you actually see what they’re all about, you see why they have so many people in the league and why they send so many receivers to the league. It’s because of the type of mentality they have.”

Ohio State: “When I was talking to the receivers and just trying to get a feel for everything and what they were saying, they all had the same response about coach (Brian) Hartline and the team as a whole. They said he’s going to push you to be the best you can be because he wants the best for you. You’re surrounded by talent and they’re all competitive.”

Pittsburgh: “I’m originally from Ohio, so Pitt is not that far from where I’m from. My family is close to there… It’s somewhere where you always have something to do. Coach (Tiquan) Underwood, I talk to him a lot. He’s a really up front, straightforward type of guy.”

South Carolina: “My trainer, when I was training with him, he went on a visit to South Carolina with somebody that he trains with and it was actually their best receiver, (Antwane Wells). He showed me a video and I saw the stuff that he was having me do was the same stuff that he has him do… Then, he asked if I’ve ever been to South Carolina and I said no. He was saying how beautiful it was and how good the people there are. He then got me in contact with Juice (Wells) and then, Sept. 1 came and I started talking to coach Stepp. We basically talk every day.”

Virginia Tech: “Coach (Brent) Pry is trying to change the program around and make it how the old Virginia Tech was when Michael Vick was there. With the coaching staff that they have now, they all really believe in him. I feel like with everybody on the same page, with the players on the same page, I feel like they could do something good. They’re recruiting good players, so I feel like they could come in and make a difference with the program and change the program around.”