Slap the Sign
Fansided

Notre Dame Football Recruiting: Top 10 Recruiting Misses of the Brian Kelly Era

By Andrew Hall

GLENDALE, ARIZONA - DECEMBER 28: Pete Werner #20 of the Ohio State Buckeyes reacts against the Clemson Tigers in the first half during the College Football Playoff Semifinal at the PlayStation Fiesta Bowl at State Farm Stadium on December 28, 2019 in Glendale, Arizona. (Photo by Christian Petersen/Getty Images)
GLENDALE, ARIZONA - DECEMBER 28: Pete Werner #20 of the Ohio State Buckeyes reacts against the Clemson Tigers in the first half during the College Football Playoff Semifinal at the PlayStation Fiesta Bowl at State Farm Stadium on December 28, 2019 in Glendale, Arizona. (Photo by Christian Petersen/Getty Images) /
facebooktwitterreddit
Prev
10 of 11
Next
PALO ALTO, CA – OCTOBER 5: Paulson Adebo #11 of the Stanford Cardinal plays defense during an NCAA Pac-12 college football game against the Washington Huskies on October 5, 2019 at Stanford Stadium in Palo Alto, California. (Photo by David Madison/Getty Images)
PALO ALTO, CA – OCTOBER 5: Paulson Adebo #11 of the Stanford Cardinal plays defense during an NCAA Pac-12 college football game against the Washington Huskies on October 5, 2019 at Stanford Stadium in Palo Alto, California. (Photo by David Madison/Getty Images) /

No. 2. Paulson Adebo – Cornerback – Class of 2017 (Stanford)

Like Darby, Notre Dame almost made it to National Signing Day with Paulson Adebo. Adebo originally committed to the Fighting Irish on June 20, 2016. The 6’2″ Cornerback from Mansfield, Texas stayed committed until January 2017.

Adebo spurned the Irish for the Stanford Cardinal. Again, similar to Darby, Notre Dame was left in scramble mode so close to National Signing Day.

The former Under Armour All-American tallied 64 tackles, 4 interceptions, 3.5 tackles for loss and 19 passes broken up during his redshirt Freshman campaign. His production fell in 2019. Adebo collected 33 tackles, 4 interceptions and 10 passes broken up. Adedo chose to return to Stanford in 2020 instead of departing for the NFL Draft.

Why is Adebo ranked here: Adebo nearly became part of the 2017 class. He ranked as the 110th recruit that year. According to various mock drafts, Adebo may hear his name called in the first round of next year’s NFL Draft. His absence was not felt until the conclusion of the 2018 season. With Julian Love and Troy Pride holding down the Cornerback spots, missing on Adebo did not seem to matter. However, when Love went down with an apparent injury in the 2nd Quarter of the College Football Playoff semifinal, it caused the backend of the Notre Dame defense to break under the speed of Clemson Wide Receivers. Ultimately, the Irish were not going to beat the Tigers. However, the game probably looks much different if Notre Dame’s roster features Paulson Adebo, Julian Love and Troy Pride.

Home/Football Recruiting