Connor Wedington to Stanford: Cardinal Land 4-Star Athlete Prospect

Buzz has been building around 4-star athlete Connor Wedington for some time, and the Sumner Senior High School product made his long-awaited college decision Monday through Bleacher Report when he committed to the Stanford Cardinal. 

Wedington's announcement comes after he decommitted from the Washington Huskies in early December.  

A native of Sumner, Washington, Wedington flashed serious two-way capabilities as he rose in the recruiting ranks. And thanks to his abilities as a running back and cornerback, Wedington graded out as Scout.com's 77th-ranked player overall among 2017 recruits.  

Additionally, the senior is the fourth-ranked athlete prospect in the class and the top-ranked athlete in the West region. Of course, those lofty rankings shouldn't come as a surprise after he rushed for 2,961 yards and 41 touchdowns over his final two high school seasons, per MaxPreps. 

And at 6'1", 193 pounds, Wedington has the stature to play either running back or corner in college. However, Scout.com's evaluation projects him as a tailback who can excel thanks to his solid speed and elusive tendencies between the tackles. 

"He's very quick and can hit full speed after just a few strides," the report stated. "He's able to change direction and is a slasher that can make you miss, not only in space, but in traffic and has plenty of wiggle. He has breakaway speed but is probably more quick than fast, and it's his initial burst through the hole that really sets him apart."

With the Cardinal, Wedington should be a seamless fit for an offense in need of an explosive playmaker following Christian McCaffrey's departure. 

And even though he may not wield McCaffrey's all-purpose potential, Wedington has proved he can shoulder the load between the tackles and is emerging as an offensive centerpiece. 

Developing into that player for head coach David Shaw will take some time, but Wedington's upside and well-rounded skill set will make him a threat to take the ball to the house whenever he gets in space. 

And even though Wedington isn't a pure burner considering he ran a 4.49-second 40-yard dash, per Scout.com, he has the blend of skills necessary to develop into a legitimate bell-cow back. 

Wedington will need to add a bit more muscle in order to sustain such a heavy workload, but he should continue to carve up defenses at the next level so long as he uses his stellar vision to rip off chunk gains play after play.