When considering college choices, Mansfield High School cornerback Paulson Adebo needed more than just a football team.
The 6-foot, 180 pounder was an Under Armour All-America and an All-State honorable mention as 247Sports.com's 14th-best cornerback. He also added 494 yards and 2 touchdowns on 25 catches as a senior wide receiver.
"It seemed like every game, he did something that every coach was like, 'How in the world did he do that?'" Mansfield coach Daniel Maberry said.
But Adebo — a four-star recruit — also boasts a 3.97 grade point average, sits in the top 16 percent of his class and speaks French.
"If you dropped me in Paris, I'd be just fine," he said.
So Adebo — who went by Saiid in high school — wanted a college that combines opportunity in football and academics.
"To be able to go to a school like Stanford, it doesn't really get any better than that," he said. "It's the best of both worlds."
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Just being accepted by Stanford was an accomplishment for Adebo.
"It's no easy feat to get into Stanford, just because you're a football [player," he said. "I still had to go through the same admissions process as all the other students."
A school like Stanford doubles Adebo's chances of achieving his dream, which he said is not necessarily a "football dream."
"Just to be able to provide for my family. Be comfortable," he said. "Be able to help people around me, help my community."
NBC 5's Pat Doney contributed to this feature.
