Paul VI star Robinson chooses Stanford

It's one thing to say getting an education is the most important factor, but it's another thing when scholarship opportunities present themselves to high school football players.

"He wanted to go to the University of Pennsylvania," Cleophus Robinson III said. "I was trying to figure out how to pay for it. Ultimately, the full scholarship [to Stanford] was a huge thing, and I'm just being honest."

Understand that Cleophus Robinson IV, better known around South Jersey as Cleo, has always aspired to be an engineer. The 6-2, 220-pound outside linebacker for Paul VI High always has pushed himself academically, and that, in turn, according to his father and mother Carmen, was the reason he attended Paul VI.

The younger Robinson's speed and quickness are largely why football opened the door to a school other than Penn - which, as a member of the Ivy League, doesn't offer scholarships.

"I really didn't think about it," said Robinson, who will sign his letter of intent this morning with Stanford. "I think coach [John Doherty] sent a tape to Stanford on a Friday, and, on Monday, we got a call from [Stanford coach Jim Harbaugh]. I think it was pretty obvious where I was going to go at that point."

That's an understatement. Again, Robinson was all about taking advantage of the best opportunity, and Stanford is beyond most any opportunity.

On the football side, the Cardinal plays in the Pac-10, along with national powers USC and Oregon, as well as rival California. More important, according to the Stanford Web site, the National Research Council's last study of American doctoral programs ranked Stanford No. 1 in computer science, electrical engineering and mechanical engineering; No. 3 in aeronautics and astronautics and civil engineering; and in the top seven for chemical engineering, industrial engineering, and materials science and engineering.

"Yeah, I did my research," the younger Robinson said. "I checked everything out about the school, both academically and on the football side.

"Stanford has produced great scientists. It has produced great engineers, and it's been out front in technology.

"I knew about John Elway, and I had heard about the incident with the band. I actually YouTubed that and couldn't believe that. What the heck were they thinking running on the field?"