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Steven M. Sipple: Growing up in shadow of Rose Bowl, Blades' affinity for football blossomed

He lives a mere five blocks from one of the most celebrated football venues in the world — Rose Bowl Stadium — so talented cornerback Elijah Blades' passion for football seems fitting.

"You can ask my mom, I just watch football all day, every day," Blades, the top-rated player in Nebraska's class of 2017 by 247Sports.com, said earlier this week from Pasadena, California.

"It's just a love for the game," he said. "I watch tapes of what other corners do. I've been doing that since I was little."

A 6-foot-2, 175-pound player, Blades drew a No.