The next Honeybadger already on LSU campus?

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* There’s been plenty of talk about LSU’s highly touted freshman class. It’s centered on running back Leonard Fournette, who Tigers coach Les Miles mentioned in the same breath as Michael Jordan, but wide receiver Malachi Dupre and quarterback Brandon Harris have also drawn rave reviews. Watch out for another freshman: ever-confident and outspoken strong safety Jamal Adams. He’s already drawing NFL All-Pro comparisons from Tigers running back coach Frank Wilson.

“He’s every bit of what Eric Berry, Tyrann Mathieu, Patrick Peterson and Eric Reid were,” Wilson said. “He’s a freaking animal. He’s in the league with those guys at this time of his career. He may be the steal of the class.”

Wilson would know. He recruited Mathieu to LSU and also watched Peterson and Reid in recent years. “This kid’s got first round all over him,” Wilson said of Adams. “He’s that legit.”

A heralded recruit from the Dallas area, the 6-0, 206-pound Adams has an NFL pedigree. His father, George, had a six-year career in the league and was a first-round pick in 1985. His godfather is former Kentucky coach Joker Phillips.

“He’s just a freakish athlete,” Wilson said of Adams. “He just oozes with confidence. He’s very vocal on the field in a positive manner. The leadership skills, the toughness. When you bark that stuff out, you better be a real dude and make a play and he can.”

If Adams doesn’t start at strong safety, he’s sure to be part of their nickel and dime packages. He’ll also be a kick returner, just like Mathieu. Wilson keeps seeing identical characteristics in the two.

“The same mannerisms, the same leadership, the same playmaking abilities,” Wilson said. “It’s the same kid all over again.”

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