Stanford football kept top recruit after he revealed cancer diagnosis

Not even a cancer diagnosis could put Stanford football off of its top defensive recruit for the 2024 season.

Benedict Umeh, a 6-foot-5, 260-pound four-star defensive end, was diagnosed with Hodgkin lymphoma, an immune system cancer that affects the body’s ability to fight infection, back in June. As he recounted to Rivals.com in a story published Sunday, this news got back to him in between visits to schools that were actively recruiting him, like Wisconsin. When he got to Palo Alto, he made the bold decision to inform Cardinal head coach Troy Taylor of his illness.

Scholarship offers and recruiting interest can evaporate in an instant. Umeh was risking a chance to pursue his dream with his honesty. Instead, as he recounted to reporter Adam Friedman, the dream is still alive and well.

“I said ‘Here’s the situation. Does this change anything for you? I might not be able to play my senior season,’” Umeh said. “They were 100% accepting. It didn’t change a single thing for them. When I talked to Troy Taylor he told me right to my face that I was the No. 1 guy on their board and that just meant more than I could say.”

The most difficult part certainly appears to be over. Umeh announced through social media on Oct. 8 that he had finished his last day of chemotherapy.

It’s of course worth noting that the brutal realities of the recruiting process aren’t quite finished. Umeh is still a verbal recruit, and, until pen hits paper, things can change regarding his offer from either end of the table. However, it’s hard to imagine the expected outcome of Umeh wearing Stanford colors next fall changing. The 2024 high school graduate told Rivals.com that he landed on Stanford because of the academics and his goal to do “something big in computer science and video game development.” He was also highly recruited after his junior year of high school, with offers from Georgia, Auburn, Penn State and Michigan.

A native of Toronto, Canada, Umeh is currently in his senior season at Avon Old Farms School in Connecticut. The earliest he can officially sign his letter of intent to join Stanford is on Dec. 20.