Millard South senior Joel Adams is headed to Michigan and likely Paris. 

The senior state champion and world champion announced his commitment to the Wolverines on Friday. 

The plan for his immediate and long term future is what sold him on taking his talents to Ann Arbor. 

“I like their plan for me,” Adams said of Michigan. “I am going to take a gap year after high school to chase my Olympic dream. I want to be the first olympic champion ever from Nebraska at 19 years old.” 

“Michigan proposed that I try for the Olympics and that was what I told the other coaches that were recruiting me. I want those goals and Michigan said they wanted to do whatever it takes to help me reach that dream.” 

That dream is a very realistic goal. In July,  Adams won the U17 65kg World Championship in Rome, Italy. Paris, France is the host of the 2024 Olympics.

“I love the coaching staff,” Adams said of Michigan. “One of the coaches I was with in Rome and my club coach (Georgi Ivanov) has known them for a long time and that put them up there. I want to be around people I trust.”

Adams wrestling talent is unrivaled but Michigan was a little more than wrestling.   

“I took a visit there and I was in love with the campus,” he said. “It is also a great academic school and that means I will be taken care of academically.” 

In the end Adams said his decision came down to Michigan, Cornell, Missouri, Oregon State and North Carolina. All schools with a good Greco rather than Folkstyle program. 

“I’ve never had a dream school but I always gravitated towards them and now Michigan is my dream school.”