California QB Dax Labrum Commits To Cornell After All-League Season

Solana Beach (CA) quarterback Dax Labrum has been on Cornell's radar since his sophomore season at Santa Fe Christian High School.

It was then that he first met Big Red, co-offensive coordinator and offensive line coach Sean Reeder, and the two began to develop a great connection.

“Coach Reeder is awesome! I was blessed to meet him twice during my sophomore year at school, so it was a strong start. He was the first coach to have reached out to me, and I love that guy. He’s got good energy, and we click really well, “Labrum said.

Receiving An Offer From Cornell

He received an offer from Cornell in January after a throwing session, where head coach Dan Swanstrom saw him sling it.

“Coach Swanstrom offered me after a throwing session, and it was an amazing moment! I could feel that it was a serious offer and that he actually wanted me in the program. He is a great coach, and we have a very honest and open relationship, which is important for a quarterback and head coach. I am never afraid to reach out to him with any questions or thoughts.”

Those relationships played a big part when he made his commitment to the Big Red on Thursday.

100% committed ‼️ Thank you to @DanSwanstrom @Sean_Reeder for recruiting me and blessing me with this opportunity! @TreyFlowers_ @Daygofootball @SDProspectsFB @LeftCoastAthl @JonWall39061117 @BrandonLeeFX @CoachDanny10 pic.twitter.com/qgMoEN8U83
— Dax Labrum (@daxlabrum17) May 8, 2026

“They were the guys in on me first. I knew I was their number one guy from the start, and they made that extremely clear. Also, I’ll have an opportunity to potentially start my true freshman year, and another big thing was the academics, because I feel like any Ivy League education is something I couldn’t pass up.

"The recruiting class they have so far is all borderline Power 4 level recruits, so we’re gonna contend for the Ivy title as well as the FCS national championship all four years, and I really believe that. The main thing, though, was just the love they made me feel. I could tell they wanted me in the program from Day 1, and yes, I want to be there, but it has to be a mutual relationship, and they made it clear that it was,” Labrum said.

Looking Back At His All-League Season

The Eagles went 13-1 last season and won the CIF San Diego Section Division II championship. Labrum finished the season completing 207 of 310 passes (66.8%) for 3,106 yards, 36 touchdowns, and was named a First-Team All-League selection.

“Last season was amazing! We finished the regular season undefeated, then went on to win the D2 San Diego title, which, for a small school, is unheard of. Thanks to my teammates, I was able to break every passing record at SFC both for season and career.”

It was that success, both individually and team-wise, that caught the attention of programs and boosted his recruitment.

“The recruiting process started a little late for me. I’d consider myself an under-recruited guy, but Cornell was the first program to contact me as well as offer me. I did take other visits before committing, and they were all great programs as well, but Cornell was overall the better fit.”

Junior Day Visit To Cornell

Labrum was in Ithaca on March 7 for Junior Day and was able to meet the coaching staff and get a closer look at the Big Red program.

“The Junior Day was nothing short of spectacular. My favorite thing aside from the people was the new field house that’s going in. It is super exciting to see the school putting a lot of money and time into the program.

"I got to meet pretty much all the coaches, but I spent a considerable amount of time with my guy, Coach Reeder. Coach Flowers (quarterbacks coach Trey Flowers) is also a great guy, as well. He is easy to talk to and communicate with, which is obviously very important in the meeting room. I am excited to build my relationship more with him,” Labrum said.

Now that he has committed, he can turn his complete attention to the 2026 season, which he hopes will be better than last.

“The offseason is going great! I am stacking on a lot of quality weight and fine-tuning my craft with the team. We return a lot of guys, so we’re confident, but that doesn’t stop us from working really hard either.”

Here are my regular season highlights! Blessed to have a great team and looking forward to finishing the job in playoffs…
-10-0 ✅
-1 seed in division@JonWall39061117 @LeftCoastAthl @akili_smith @Daygofootball @drewbrees @GregBiggins @adamgorney @ChadSimmons_ @BrandonHuffman… pic.twitter.com/eVDCwEqyjn
— Dax Labrum (@daxlabrum17) November 7, 2025

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