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Stanford continues to capitalize on its strong recruiting pipeline in the Lone Star State, as Texas four-star athlete Paulson Adebo became the eleventh member of #CardClass17.
Interestingly enough, there was no long-winded tweet, no Stanford-themed edit, as is typical of a publicly posted commitment announcement online. All Adebo did was subtly add “Stanford University ‘21” followed by a tree emoji to his Twitter bio.
Adebo, the second Cardinal pledge in as many days, is rated as the 196th overall player and the 26th best corner in the country by 247Sports and ranked as the 32nd best prospect out of Texas in this year’s crop of recruits.
The 2017 Under Armour All-American de-committed from Notre Dame last week prior to attending Stanford’s big official visit weekend, and the event seemed to have a huge impact on him.
Having been committed to the Irish since mid-June, an underachieving 4-8 Irish season and the ensuing fire sale that occurred among the coaching staff undoubtedly pushed Adebo to back out of his commitment. Once he was immersed and educated about the unique blend of academic and athletic opportunity at Stanford that has lured many a recruit out west, I don’t think Adebo wasted anytime in committing to play four years of football at his dream school.
Adebo played both wide receiver and cornerback for Mansfield (TX) High School, earning first team all-area distinction on defense by the Dallas Morning News for his defensive prowess. The 6’1, 180-pound defensive back registered 53 tackles and three interceptions in his senior campaign, leading the Tigers to a 10-3 record.
However, this commitment is huge for a Cardinal receiving corps that will lose fifth-year senior Michael Rector to graduation and the NFL. As Adebo (494 yards and two touchdowns on 25 catches for Mansfield in 2016) is expected to be a contributor in 2017 and beyond, one tool he possesses will solidify his role. His verified 4.57 speed will allow him to slide into Rector’s role as a downfield burner next to JJ Arcega-Whiteside’s high-pointing perfection and Trent Irwin’s reliable mitts.
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