Elite DT commits to Stanford
Atwater (Calif.) Buhach defensive tackle Aziz Shittu was planning on narrowing his list to eight schools over the summer but he has decided to skip that step.
In fact, on Friday the U.S. Army All-American went ahead and made his college decision. The coaches at one school were ecstatic, while those at other schools had to be disappointed.
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The 6-foot-3, 275-pound prospect verbally committed to Stanford on Friday, effectively ending the recruiting process.
"That happened today, just now," Shittu said on Friday. "Coach (David) Shaw had been trying to talk to me for a little bit but I had been busy. I finally got a chance to call him and we talked for about 40 minutes. That's when I committed."
Why did Shittu decide he wanted to join the Cardinal as opposed to any one of the other schools recruiting him?
"I decided on Stanford not because of the next four years of my life but because of the next whole part of my life," he explained. "That's basically when it comes down to."
Shittu has visited Stanford several times and said he's very familiar with the coaches, especially Derek Mason, Jason Tarver and Randy Hart.
"I've got a good relationship with all the guys up there," he said. "The campus is beautiful. It's a really nice place. It just has a good feel."
The elite defensive tackle will now work on submitting his application to Stanford. Once he receives word that he has been admitted to the school he will shut down all communication with coaches from other schools.
Shittu is Stanford's second verbal commitment from the Class of 2012, with the first being Virginia athlete Alex Carter.