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CLEMSON — Amare Adams was in the ninth grade when he found his purpose.
Adams’ mother, Lorraine Kirkland, was involved in a devastating car accident on May 19, 2022. A vehicle struck the front-right side of her car while she was on the way to pick up his two younger siblings from school.
Kirkland survived the accident but suffered a broken femur bone in her thigh and a broken hip. She was instructed not to put any pressure on her right leg. Doing so would risk damage to the hip that could leave her unable to walk again.
“The Lord spared her life, and I thank God for that,” said Adams, who is Clemson football’s top signee in its 2025 recruiting class, in a video to his local church. “When I saw that, it just clicked.”
This happened as Adams began receiving interest from colleges after his freshman year at Central High School in Pageland, despite struggling academically. Because of Kirkland’s condition, she and Adams’ father, Stan Adams, agreed to allow Amare to move in with him and attend Lake City High School for his sophomore year.
Despite moving about 80 miles away, Amare checked in consistently on his mother, who moved in with his grandmother to recover. He would tell Kirkland not to worry about various tasks. It reached the point that Kirkland had to tell him it was OK, that she needed to do things on her own to recover.
“When you see the person who raised you in a situation where they’re basically helpless, it affected him mentally,” Kirkland told The Greenville News. “That motivated him to make sure his grades were great, to make sure he did everything in his ability at his best.”
Kirkland attended every Lake City football game during Adams’ sophomore year in a wheelchair. She progressed to a walking cane then to a full recovery in 2023. Her determination helped center Amare. He became a highly sought recruit…
Source link : https://sports.yahoo.com/article/family-crisis-helped-top-clemson-100744846.html
Author : Greenville News
Publish date : 2025-03-03 10:07:00
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