University of Georgia Athletics
Adoini’s Big Plan Paid Off
May 12, 2026 | Track & Field, The Frierson Files
By John Frierson
Staff Writer
Mohamed Adoini had an ambitious plan. One that paid off big-time.
As a young hurdler in Bizerte, Tunisia, Adoini wanted to come to the United States for college. He wanted an education, and he thought he had some potential as an athlete. Adoini believed the opportunity to run track in college, where he could utilize all of the resources that weren't available to him at home, would bring out the best in him, while also allowing him to earn a degree.
There was a problem, however. "I didn't get any offers," he said.
Because college coaches weren't reaching out to him, Adoini decided to reach out to them. All of them.
"I emailed every single school in the country," he said. "I had a little milestone thing where every single night before I go to bed, I emailed 40 coaches. By the span of like a couple of months, I finished all of the coaches in the USA."
Because Adoini didn't have money for college, he needed a full scholarship. And he accepted the first offer he got, from Division II Johnson C. Smith University, an HBCU in Charlotte, N.C.
"The main thing was education. I never thought I'd be this fast, to be honest with you," he said. "The main thing is education and trying to provide for my family and kind of do better. I feel like in the U.S., I get an equal opportunity to succeed."
At Johnson C. Smith, Adoini redshirted his freshman year and then was an All-American in the 400-meter hurdles last spring. At the NCAA Division II Outdoor Championships at CSU-Pueblo, Adoini ran a 51.10 in his first heat and then placed seventh in the final with a then-personal-best time of 50.71 to earn All-America honors.
"I ran pretty good, I broke a school record, and I met a lot of cool people (at JCSU)," he said.
And after his success at Johnson C. Smith, Adoini didn't have to email all of the coaches in the country when he entered the transfer portal with his sights set on moving up to Division I. "I actually committed to Georgia before even running the final at Nationals," he said.
Arriving in Athens introduced Adoini to a different world of collegiate athletics compared to JCSU. Georgia's facilities are among the best in the country, as are the resources available to student-athletes. Adoini said he grew up running on dirt tracks, and now he's training and racing on the brand-new Spec Towns Track at the UGA Track & Field Complex.
"It's just a fascinating amount of investments and facilities that you all provide to athletes here," he said.
During the indoor season, which doesn't race the 400 hurdles, Adoini ran the 400 as an individual and also raced as part of the 4x400 relay and the distance medley relay squads. His best 400 time was 46.90, which came at the Tiger Paw Invitational in February.
Since the outdoor season began, Adoini has run the 400 hurdles in 49.58, 49.94, 49.16, 51.01, and at the Torrin Lawrence Memorial at UGA on May 2, he lowered his personal best to a blazing 49.04 seconds — tied for the third-fastest time in program history. Heading into this week's SEC Track and Field Championships at Auburn, Adoini's best time ranks No. 2 in the country, behind only the 48.22 run by Texas A&M's Ja'Qualon Scott.
"I have definitely improved a lot since I got here," he said.
Adoini is also the anchor on Georgia's 4x400 outdoor team, which has the fastest time in the country this spring at 3:01.15, set at the Spec Towns Invitational last month. Adoini said training with 400 runners like star freshman Jonathan Simms, who has the school record and the fastest time in the country this year at 44.02, along with Sidi Njie (45.13), Xai Ricks (45.43), and former Georgia 400 national champion Christopher Morales Williams, has made a big difference.
"That was the main reason I came here when I hopped in the portal," he said. "A lot of schools offered me, but Georgia stood out. One, because Georgia didn't have a 400 hurdler, so it would be cool if I'm the only guy this first year and then we start building the tradition in the hurdles. ... I've spent most of my season working out with (the 400 runners). That has helped me build speed and strength in the 400, which also helps me in the 400 hurdles."
Adoini also found a kindred spirit in Associate Head Coach Karim Abdel Wahab, who coaches the sprints and hurdles. They both love doing deep dives into the training numbers. If there is an Excel spreadsheet involved, they're happy.
"I love numbers; I'm studying economics, so I'm pretty good at Excel, as well," Adoini said. "I like to see it on Excel, visualize it on a graph, and then see if I can do it in a race."
It took a lot of work for Adoini to get where he is, from sending out all of those emails to developing into one of the best 400 hurdlers in the country, but he's found a home at Georgia.
Staff Writer
Mohamed Adoini had an ambitious plan. One that paid off big-time.
As a young hurdler in Bizerte, Tunisia, Adoini wanted to come to the United States for college. He wanted an education, and he thought he had some potential as an athlete. Adoini believed the opportunity to run track in college, where he could utilize all of the resources that weren't available to him at home, would bring out the best in him, while also allowing him to earn a degree.
There was a problem, however. "I didn't get any offers," he said.
Because college coaches weren't reaching out to him, Adoini decided to reach out to them. All of them.
"I emailed every single school in the country," he said. "I had a little milestone thing where every single night before I go to bed, I emailed 40 coaches. By the span of like a couple of months, I finished all of the coaches in the USA."
Because Adoini didn't have money for college, he needed a full scholarship. And he accepted the first offer he got, from Division II Johnson C. Smith University, an HBCU in Charlotte, N.C.
"The main thing was education. I never thought I'd be this fast, to be honest with you," he said. "The main thing is education and trying to provide for my family and kind of do better. I feel like in the U.S., I get an equal opportunity to succeed."
At Johnson C. Smith, Adoini redshirted his freshman year and then was an All-American in the 400-meter hurdles last spring. At the NCAA Division II Outdoor Championships at CSU-Pueblo, Adoini ran a 51.10 in his first heat and then placed seventh in the final with a then-personal-best time of 50.71 to earn All-America honors.
"I ran pretty good, I broke a school record, and I met a lot of cool people (at JCSU)," he said.
And after his success at Johnson C. Smith, Adoini didn't have to email all of the coaches in the country when he entered the transfer portal with his sights set on moving up to Division I. "I actually committed to Georgia before even running the final at Nationals," he said.
Arriving in Athens introduced Adoini to a different world of collegiate athletics compared to JCSU. Georgia's facilities are among the best in the country, as are the resources available to student-athletes. Adoini said he grew up running on dirt tracks, and now he's training and racing on the brand-new Spec Towns Track at the UGA Track & Field Complex.
"It's just a fascinating amount of investments and facilities that you all provide to athletes here," he said.
During the indoor season, which doesn't race the 400 hurdles, Adoini ran the 400 as an individual and also raced as part of the 4x400 relay and the distance medley relay squads. His best 400 time was 46.90, which came at the Tiger Paw Invitational in February.
Since the outdoor season began, Adoini has run the 400 hurdles in 49.58, 49.94, 49.16, 51.01, and at the Torrin Lawrence Memorial at UGA on May 2, he lowered his personal best to a blazing 49.04 seconds — tied for the third-fastest time in program history. Heading into this week's SEC Track and Field Championships at Auburn, Adoini's best time ranks No. 2 in the country, behind only the 48.22 run by Texas A&M's Ja'Qualon Scott.
"I have definitely improved a lot since I got here," he said.
Adoini is also the anchor on Georgia's 4x400 outdoor team, which has the fastest time in the country this spring at 3:01.15, set at the Spec Towns Invitational last month. Adoini said training with 400 runners like star freshman Jonathan Simms, who has the school record and the fastest time in the country this year at 44.02, along with Sidi Njie (45.13), Xai Ricks (45.43), and former Georgia 400 national champion Christopher Morales Williams, has made a big difference.
"That was the main reason I came here when I hopped in the portal," he said. "A lot of schools offered me, but Georgia stood out. One, because Georgia didn't have a 400 hurdler, so it would be cool if I'm the only guy this first year and then we start building the tradition in the hurdles. ... I've spent most of my season working out with (the 400 runners). That has helped me build speed and strength in the 400, which also helps me in the 400 hurdles."
Adoini also found a kindred spirit in Associate Head Coach Karim Abdel Wahab, who coaches the sprints and hurdles. They both love doing deep dives into the training numbers. If there is an Excel spreadsheet involved, they're happy.
"I love numbers; I'm studying economics, so I'm pretty good at Excel, as well," Adoini said. "I like to see it on Excel, visualize it on a graph, and then see if I can do it in a race."
It took a lot of work for Adoini to get where he is, from sending out all of those emails to developing into one of the best 400 hurdlers in the country, but he's found a home at Georgia.
Assistant Sports Communications Director John Frierson is the staff writer for the UGA Athletic Association and curator of the ITA Men's Tennis Hall of Fame. You can find his work at: Frierson Files.
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