This spring, Stanford football landed a commitment from 2025 3-star safety Omari Gaines out of Shabazz High School in Newark, New Jersey. Gaines committed to Stanford on May 7th after decommitting from Penn State on March 1st. Gaines took his official visit to Stanford the weekend of June 1st, so he was part of that first wave of official visits, helping Stanford recruit other guys to The Farm.
In addition to Stanford and Penn State, Gaines also held offers from Duke, Boston College, Connecticut, Georgia Tech, Illinois, Michigan State, Mississippi, Pittsburgh, Rutgers, Syracuse, Temple, West Virginia, and Central Michigan. That’s a pretty solid group of schools that were on him.
Rivals has Gaines rated as a 3-star with 5.6 Rivals rating. While he is listed as a safety, he has the ability to play anywhere in the secondary. He has experience playing both cornerback and safety. He could also be used at nickel. So, there’s a versatility there though I should make clear that Stanford is recruiting him to play safety.
When watching Gaines’ tape, one thing that stands out is he tackles well just in terms of getting low and exhibiting the proper technique. He also does a good job of not committing penalties in the secondary. Has a good feel for when to let a ball go and not pick up a silly flag. He has good aggression and plays with the kind of physicality you want to see in a defensive back.
While he is not rated particularly high, there are reasons to have some excitement about Omari Gaines. He had a decent offers list out of high school, has good size, and some versatility. It’ll be interesting to see what he brings to the safety room and what kind of impact he makes on the Cardinal defense.
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