Aderian Adelabu is committed to play football for the Yale Bulldogs less than a year after first picking up the sport.
ELK GROVE, Calif — Less than a year after strapping on football pads for the first time, Franklin High School’s Aderian Adelabu is headed to one of the most prestigious universities in the world.
Adelabu will attend Yale University in New Haven, Connecticut — not just to play Division I football, but to study medicine.
His journey is anything but traditional. The 6-foot-5, 305-pound offensive tackle didn’t start playing football until the summer before his senior year.
“It took some convincing my mom to let me come out, started working out and just going through the summer,” Adelabu told ABC10. “Got to the season, and I guess just the work that I put in just showed.”
Before football, Adelabu was a varsity basketball player for the Franklin Wildcats, playing center until an injury changed his path.
“It wasn’t until my sophomore year where I broke my left leg,” he said. “With breaking my leg, I had so much time to think … I just had this calling, like it’s God’s conviction of just pulling me towards football. After rehabilitating from the injury, I was able to thankfully convince my mom to let me play senior year.”
Although he didn’t have years of experience or highlight reels, Adelabu leaned on his size and work ethic.
That became enough, as college coaches took notice throughout the season. He became a three-star recruit, according to his profile on 247 Sports, a website focused on recruiting in college football and basketball.
By midseason, offers began rolling in from UC Davis, Columbia, Dartmouth, Harvard and Yale — his very first offer. UC Davis, Columbia and Yale were his top three choices.
“I probably wouldn’t be able to get there without football, so I narrowed it down to the Ivy Leagues, and Yale was the best option for me,” said Adelabu, who carries a 4.1 GPA.
Adelabu was recruited to play both offense and defense, but he’ll ultimately play offensive tackle for the Yale Bulldogs.
Off the field, he plans to major in psychology on a pre-med track, with hopes of becoming either a psychiatrist or anesthesiologist. His interest in psychology was sparked by a high school class.
“I always just loved — like, it interested me how people’s brains work, why people do what they do and how they act,” Adelabu said. “I’ve always been a learner. I’m just like a student at heart.”
As he prepares for his new journey, thousands of miles away from home, Adelabu is eager to earn a degree he says could take him further than football.
“It’s a little scary, but it also will open so many new doors — just see how I grow as a person,” he said.
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