Riley and the Bulldogs won the 2017 South Atlantic Conference championship and advanced to the NCAA Division II playoffs. In the community, Riley has served three years as a Union County Young Life leader at Porter Ridge High School. He has participated in Wingate's Special Olympics Field Day each August. Riley has visited the Levine Children's Hospital in Charlotte each fall as well.
In the classroom, Riley is a communication studies major with an emphasis in sports broadcasting as well as a double minor in psychology and sports management. Riley currently holds a 3.109 GPA. He has received recognition as a Dean's list student at Wingate.
"Adam Riley is just simply a special human being," Wingate head football coach Joe Reich says. "He has fantastic character and never seems to have an 'off' day. He always brings enthusiasm and energy to all he does. There is nobody who works harder. Adam is a great ambassador for our University and our program."
The Allstate AFCA Good Works Team has been one of the most esteemed honors in college football for more than 25 years. The student-athletes who are nominated for this award not only demonstrate a unique dedication to community service and desire to make a positive impact on the lives around them, but they also show tremendous perseverance as well as the ability to overcome personal struggles and come out victorious against all odds.
"Each nominee has an inspiring story to tell - often times about how they have prevailed over hardships and adversity only to turn around and pour their hearts into helping others," David Prendergast says. Prendergast is president of the Eastern Territory at Allstate Insurance Company and a member of the 2018 voting panel. "It is our privilege at Allstate to come together with the AFCA for the 11th consecutive year to shine a light on these exceptional nominees who set the highest standards of community service and serve as role models for generations to come."
The college football players who have been nominated make it a priority to find time in their busy schedules to volunteer in meaningful ways. Of the nominees, many players dedicate time to reading, mentoring and playing sports with disadvantaged children when they are not in the classroom or on the field. Other players make frequent visits to hospitals to spend one-on-one time with ill patients. One student-athlete even went as far as donating bone marrow in order to save the life of a child in need.
A special voting panel consisting of previous Allstate AFCA Good Works Team members and prominent college football media members will review submissions from sports information directors across the nation to select the 2018 Good Works Team. Two-time national champion, Heisman Trophy winner and 2009 Allstate AFCA Good Works Team member Tim Tebow will once again headline the Allstate AFCA Good Works Team voting panel.
"I've seen the value of this team firsthand since I was selected as a member of the Allstate AFCA Good Works Team my senior year," Tebow says. "I love seeing the influx of players year after year who truly embody everything for which this program stands. "These kids have so much character, strength and honor. To excel on the field, in the classroom and be a leader in community service - that is the ultimate accomplishment."
The Allstate AFCA Good Works Team is comprised of 11 players from the NCAA Football Bowl Subdivision and 11 players from the NCAA Football Championship Subdivision, Divisions II, III and the NAIA and one honorary head coach. To be in consideration by Allstate and the AFCA for a nomination, each player must be actively involved with a charitable organization or service group while maintaining a strong academic standing.
The final roster of 22 award recipients and honorary head coach will be unveiled in September.
"There are always a lot of great stories that come out every year during the college football season, but none of them compare to the inspiring stories that each of these Allstate AFCA Good Works Team nominees live out on a daily basis," AFCA Executive Director Todd Berry says. "How these student-athletes spend their time helping others should be a motivation to everyone who reads about them to give back. It's an honor to partner with Allstate to publicize the great works these student-athletes achieve each year."
In addition to Tebow and Prendergast, the 2018 Allstate AFCA Good Works Team selection panel members includes: former Good Works Team members Zaid Abdul-Aleem (Duke, 1994 team), Matt Stinchcomb (Georgia, 1997, 1998 teams), Brian Brenberg (St. Thomas, 2001 team), Mike Proman (Amherst, 2002 team) and Wes Counts (Middle Tennessee State, 1999 team); media members Kirk Herbstreit (ESPN), Blair Kerkhoff (Kansas City Star) and Paul Myerberg (USA TODAY); Georgetown College head coach Bill Cronin; 2001 AFCA President and current athletic director at Virginia Union University Joe Taylor.
After the final team members are announced in September, college football fans can visit the Allstate AFCA Good Works Team official page on ESPN.com to view profiles and images of the players and honorary head coach, and vote for the 2018 Allstate AFCA Good Works Team Captain. Fans are also encouraged to follow along and join in on the conversation by searching and using #GoodWorksTeam on their social media channels throughout the season.
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