By Keith Peters

Palo Alto Online Sports

Former Palo Alto High standout Davante Adams made quite an impact on the Fresno State football team this season, one that hasn't gone unnoticed as the Bulldogs have put together a 9-3 mark and tri-championship in the Mountain West Conference.

On Tuesday, the redshirt freshman wide receiver was named to the Sports Illustrated All-America team as an honorable mention selection. Last Friday, Adams was named to the Sporting News Freshman All-All-American team and to the CBSSports.com 2012 All-Freshman Team.

Adams was the only Mountain West player to be named a freshman All-American this year.

Earlier last week, Adams was selected as Freshman of the Year in the Mountain West after he had 26 more receptions, 314 more receiving yards and seven more touchdown catches than any other player in the conference this season.

"I've been having a lot of fun," said Adams. "Any time I have an opportunity to catch passes, I'm happy about it. It (the freshman of the year award) shows my coaches they can trust me with the ball."

Adams has 89 catches for 1,168 yards and 13 touchdowns this season. He caught a touchdown pass in each of the last seven games of the season, which set a Mountain West record for consecutive games with a touchdown catch.

The 6-foot-2, 200-pounder became the first freshman wide receiver in school and Mountain West history to post over 1,000 yards receiving in a season.

"He's got really high potential and he started to realize it this year," Fresno State head coach Tim DeRuyter told the Fresno Bee. "His work ethic improved this year, but it's got to continue to improve. Next year, everybody is going to know who he is."

Adams had five 100-yard receiving games in 2012, four games with two touchdowns and he led all FBS freshman in receiving yards, yards per game and touchdown catches. He tied for fourth in the nation in touchdown receptions, No. 12 in the FBS for receptions and 14th in the country in receiving yards. That helped Adams earn a nomination for the Biletnikoff Award, which honors the top receiver in the nation.

Adams also has been named to the College Football Performance Awards 2012 National Freshman of the Year Watch List.

Earlier in the season, Adams was named Fresno State's Sysco Student-Athlete of the Week after having one of the best receiving games in school history during a 49-32 win at New Mexico. Adams caught nine passes for 198 yards and two touchdowns. His 198 yards was the 12th most in a game in Fresno State history.

At Paly, Adams helped the Vikings win the CIF Division I state title in 2010. He caught 64 passes for 1,094 yards and 12 touchdowns. He redshirted at Fresno State in 2011-12, working hard in the weight room to improve his strength and speed. The work has paid off.

"It's just crazy," Adams said of all the success he and his teammates have enjoyed this season. "You really don't know how things are going to go -- especially coming off a not-so-special season last year."

Adams said the team got together and made the decision to be better than the 4-9 team in 2011.

"We can't be a losing team. We have to turn the season around," Adams said of what was discussed. "We just went out there every week and had fun. When you're having fun each week, it makes the season all the better."

Adams had a season-high 12 receptions in a 42-25 loss at Oregon, the season-best 198 receiving yards against New Mexico, which included an 89-yard touchdown, and four games in which he caught a pair of TD passes.

Next up for Adams and the Bulldogs will be the Sheraton Hawaii Bowl in Honolulu on Dec. 24. Fresno will face off against SMU (6-6) on ESPN at 5 p.m.

"We've got a bowl game coming up and we want to win it, obviously," Adams said.

And for next year?

"We haven't set, actually, hard goals yet, but I want to win another Mountain West Conference title," Adams said. "Next year, we can win every game on our schedule."

And personally?

"Just to keep producing," he said in a video interview. "Make a name for ourselves."

That's something Davante Adams evidently has done already.