There aren't many 2019 prospects in Texas or throughout the country with more recruiting momentum than linebacker NaNa Osafo-Mensah.

Rated an early four star by several publications, Rivals has yet to rank the talented outside linebacker/defensive end from Nolan Catholic High School in Fort Worth. But his offer list tells the story of his considerable potential.

Just this week, Duke offered Thursday and Notre Dame on Wednesday. Nebraska and Oklahoma both extended offers on April 24 and in between were offers from Oklahoma State and Houston. USC and UCLA offered April 14 and 15, respectively. That is not bad for a month's worth of work on the recruiting trail.

Stanford has not offered, yet, and there has not been much contact between the two sides, Osafo-Mensah said, but the son of Ghanaian immigrants has long had his eyes set on The Farm. His father is Dr. Kwaku Osafo-Mensah, who graduated from Stanford medical school in 1995.

"Honestly Stanford has been my dream school my whole life," he said. "It's always been the school I wanted to play at or even just go to (as a student). After getting recognition from other schools I've always wanted to go out to Stanford and see how they are."

Osafo-Mensah has never visited Stanford. A year after he was born his family moved from California to New Mexico, where they lived until 2005. From there they moved to Texas.

He plans to attend Stanford's June camp and junior day.

It will be the first time he steps on campus, but he has watched a number of Stanford games on TV.

"I'm a college football fan in general, but if Stanford is playing I'm watching that game over any other game," he said.

He described it as "amazing" to watch fellow Texan Solomon Thomas play this past season. "I'm realizing in the back of my mind that this is a player who is one of the most dominant in the country and he goes to Stanford, so I know I know he handles his grades wonderfully, too. Being able to do both at the same time motivates me whenever I complain. He's doing the same thing and even 10 times greater."

While the sophomore is a talented football player, his parents have been strict about making sure he could have the academic profile to apply to a school such as Stanford even without the help of athletics. He has a 4.0 GPA and "that comes from my parents always pushing me to be the top of the top, honestly.

"At first it used to be a burden always trying to get straight As, but it also becomes a personal goal for me," he said. "I always want to achieve the best I can, and knowing that a place I possibly want to go to is Stanford ... that pushes me even more to make sure my grades are the best they can be so I can see a school like that."

According to Osafo-Mensah, his parents moved to the U.S. in the 1980s and they were not very familiar with the game of American football. When he was in the second grade, the father of NaNa's best friend, Luke Macias, who is now his high school's starting quarterback, convinced NaNa's parents it wasn't too dangerous a sport. And the young boy very much wanted to play, and his approach to playing sports showed why.

"I used to play soccer a little bit, but I wasn't the best at it," he said. "The thing about it, too, is that I was really physical. So, why can't I just play normal football? I've always had that physical aspect in me."

Years later college coaches across the country appreciate that he is playing football under the Friday night lights of Texas, and not the sport of the same name that is overwhelmingly more popular in Ghana.

And Osafo-Mensah thinks his parents are becoming football fans.

"At first I think it was just coming out to see me play," he said. "They were still a little hesitant about it, but now they're starting to enjoy it more."

And football offers him an opportunity to take on the educator role with his parents as students: "I remember the first game my dad went out to my freshman year. He asked me why I wasn't scoring any touchdowns and I said, 'Dad, I play defense.' I've been talking to him about how the game works and all the positions."

Osafo-Mensah is determined to focus on grades and developing as a player rather than think too much about recruiting. One thing he's already learned with more than two years to go until he steps onto a college campus is how to balance the demand of academics and football.

"My whole life that has been happening," he said. "You have to go to practice, then tutoring and manage my straight As. It prepared me and it's a natural habit to me now to manage my time. I think it's going to really prepare me for college, whether I play at Stanford or anywhere else, really. It's going to help me in life."