Armaj Reed-Adams says he is in the best shape of his career

Armaj Reed-Adams could write a book and sell his secrets and a lot of people would buy it. Not many people lose a lot of weight and are then told to put some of it back on.

When he first reported to Kansas as a true freshman, he was slightly under 400 pounds and knew he had to make an adjustment to play football in the Big 12.

He put a lot of work in with the strength and conditioning staff, but his best advice came from his father.

“I did what my dad told me,” Reed-Adams said. “He told me to change my lifestyle, don't think of it as a diet. That really changed things, and I had great people around me. Even when I did want to slip up or go get a cookie or something, I had great roommates and teammates around that helped me out.”

His weight settled in early around 385 pounds and then pushed north of 400 pounds.

“I think the highest I got was 410 during Covid, just sitting around isolated,” he said.

As a true freshman he started three games and played in the last five games of the season. He started to shed the pounds and trimmed down to 330. He continued to drop weight over the next season and then heard the words he probably never thought he would.

“I got down to like 298 and they were like, ‘Hey, you’re going the wrong way now,’” Reed-Adams said. “So, I had to gain 30 pounds back.”

Through fall camp he is playing at an ideal weight and feels good. He credits Matt Gildersleeve and the nutrition staff for helping to get him ready for the season.

“And right now, I feel like I'm at the best I ever felt,” he said. “Physically I'm strong as an ox, running my fastest. I feel like running 18.5 miles per hour as a big guy is nothing to joke with. I'm trying to bring that onto the field.”

Hear more from Adams about his journey since he arrived at Kansas and his thoughts on the offensive line through fall camp.