THOMASVILLE, Ga. — Adam Hopkins has always had a competitive nature.

It dates back to his days playing in the YMCA youth league, according to his mother, Tonja Akery.

"He played whatever," Akery said. "It didn’t matter where he was playing, as long as he was on the field. If you’re doing something spectacular, he’s gonna try to do it spectacular, too.”

Hopkins committed to play wide receiver for Auburn Thursday, but it wasn't the first sport that captivated him. Originally, it was basketball.

"He loved basketball first," Akery said. "He was like ‘I wanna stick to basketball.' Some of the stuff he was doing in basketball, I didn’t even know that he could do — the dunking and all that, I was like ‘Wow."

Meanwhile, on the football field, Hopkins wanted to be a quarterback.

"I think throwing the ball comes from his older brother," Avery said. "His older brother played also with Central and he was a wide receiver as well."

Hopkins often helped his older brother, Naseem, practice his routes by acting as the quarterback. Learning routes at a young age, while helping his brother, also helped shape Hopkins as a wide receiver.

Now, he'll have the opportunity to use his skills at the next level with Auburn — and mom is thrilled to see it unfold.

"I’m excited about Auburn," Akery said. "Something new. It’s a change, it’s a challenge."