Above, Neuqua Valley junior safety Isaiah Robertson runs back a pick 6 against Waubonsie Valley on Sept. 11.
It certainly hasn’t taken long for Big Ten schools to notice Isaiah Robertson.
Since February, four Big Ten schools – Illinois, Iowa, Maryland and Wisconsin – have extended scholarship offers to the Neuqua Valley junior wide receiver.
But even he admits the opportunity he was afforded last Saturday had a different vibe to it.
Taking Mark Dantonio’s staff up on their offer to take an unofficial visit to East Lansing, Mich. for a top-10 matchup between Oregon and Michigan State, Robertson came away impressed.
“The visit – overall – was really amazing,” he said. “The facilities were nice and new. Everything was big. Coaches were cool. Some people say, ‘college coaches are crazy, they’re all over the place.’ But the staff was really cool. It was hospitable. All the facilities, the practice field was nice, everything. It was just really a wonderful place.”
On Sept. 1 – the first day coaches could contact Class of 2017 prospects – Michigan State was the first program to send Robertson a direct message on Twitter.
Without question, that resonated as well as the recruiting ground Dantonio and his staff are making in Illinois.
“Prior to all this, my friend (Fremd safety and Michigan State verbal commit) Kenney Lyke was telling me all about Michigan State and how it’s the No. 1 spot and how everybody’s coming up there and they’re going to do good things. So as soon as I got the opportunity to come up there, I wanted to jump up and see what it’s really like.”
“(Lyke) wasn’t lying in everything he said. So it was really important for me to get there and see the coaches and see the facilities. On Sept. 1, Michigan State – their coaches were the first to contact me. So it was something that I just really wanted to do.”
Of the 20 Class of 2016 commits the Spartans have, five reside in Illinois – Lyke, Hinsdale South’s Josh King, Evanston’s Naquan Jones, Lake Park’s Mike Panasiuk and Hinsdale Central’s Matt Allen.
Robertson left after the fifth-ranked Spartans’ 31-28 victory over the seventh-ranked Ducks with no offer in hand but with the knowledge Michigan State is keeping a close eye on him moving forward.
Likely still months away from deciding where to take his allotted official visits, Robertson has taken unofficial visits to Ohio State, Miami (FL), Illinois and Michigan State.
“I’ve been getting a lot of mail from Ohio State,” he said. “I’ve been hearing from Coach (Chris) Ash a lot.”
At 6-foot-2 and 190 pounds, Robertson has been quite the weapon for both Broc Rutter and now Jack Stankoven for a Neuqua Valley offense that is built behind a solid running game and skill on the outside.
The fact he’s helping out Rodney Jones’ defense as a safety in addition to his wide receiver duties has added a different dimension to his game.
His 93-yard interception return for a TD in a Week 3 28-7 victory for the Wildcats over Waubonsie Valley changed the complexion of the game as the Warriors were looking to inch closer.
Through three games, Robertson has recorded 26 tackles and two interceptions to go with his 14 receptions for 212 yards and two TDs.
“Right now, (schools) are definitely looking at me as (an) athlete,” he said. “I know Penn State is. Nobody really knew about (my) defense because it’s a new thing. But now – after the third game going to the fourth – everybody kind of sees I’m playing defense too.”
