On eve of signing, Kelly remembers father's Stanford prediction
In the recruiting world reporters make a career of gathering information and making predictions. Kyu Blu Kelly's father, Brian, proved to be the prophet of his son's future when he text Kyu from Stanford's campus about five years ago.
Brian attended USC and played 11 seasons in the NFL. After his playing career he did some scout work and during one trip to evaluate the 49ers he stopped to watch a Stanford practice.
“He sent me a photo and said, ‘I really picture you at this school’ ", Kyu said. "I thought, ‘Nah, I’m not smart enough for that’. I ended up getting that offer so it was probably meant to be.
"And then Coach (Duane) Akina ended up knowing my dad. We met Coach Akina and I clicked well. That just sold it for me. Palo Alto is beautiful. The education, the connections I can make there -- There are too many pluses for me not to take it.”
Kelly will sign with Stanford Wednesday to complete the story that started with that text from his father.
As is their custom, Gorman won a state title Dec. 1 and after the final whistle Kelly's mind turned to The Farm:
"One thing I thought of when that clocked ended is, ‘Wow, next time I’m going to suit up I’m going to suit up in Palo Alto’. That’s pretty cool. I’m really excited for it."
Kelly played two seasons of varsity football at Bishop Gorman, one of the elite programs in the country that has a challenging national schedule every year and fierce competition to play. Kelly is an impressive athlete who excels in track, showing his top speed (10.72 PR in the 100) and lower-body power (23 feet, 6.5 inch PR in the long jump).
He primarily played cornerback for Gorman but moved around at times in the defensive backfield and had a few touches on offense. Akina plans to start Kelly at cornerback while training him to play nickel and even safety, if needed.
Kelly's relationship got a head start because of the respect his father holds for the veteran coach. And Seattle Seahawk safety Earl Thomas trains at Bishop Gorman. Thomas played for Akina at Texas, creating an easy reference for Akina to share stories about a former player.
According to Kelly, Akina likes the young corner's physical skill set: "The main things he points out for me are the 'unteachable things', is what he calls it. My speed, my length and my height are things you can’t teach and those are attributes he’s excited to work with. I like to play at the line of scrimmage. That’s what he really liked about my film. I’m more of a press guy. I’ll play off but I’m more trying to get my hands on you before the play develops."
Kelly watched Stanford's games this season and focused on the cornerbacks Alijah Holder and Paulson Adebo. He spent more time watching Adebo because he felt there were similarities in how they try to play the game. Of course, Adebo's one-handed, diving interception against Cal caught his attention.
"That was crazy," he said. "That was pretty dirty with one hand. And he had two that game. I was in shock watching it. I had to replay it like three or four times."
It may be tough for Kelly to get onto the field next season due to the quality of the returners at cornerback and the number of freshmen joining him at the position. But that won't deter Kelly, who learned years ago that the proper response to competition is to work harder.
"Coming in from eighth grade playing little league football and working out sometimes and going (to Bishop Gorman) freshman year, it hit me like a truck. I’m going to have to work really hard to play here. It was really good for me because it changed my whole lifestyle of hard work and dedication to be successful."