Georgia LB making return visit
Ole Miss is in on several prospects from the state of Georgia and Fayetteville (Starr's Miss HS) prospect has been flying under the radar, although he's already amassed six offers.
Stephen Roberts, a 6-foot-3, 210 pound outside linebacker prospect, visited Ole Miss on an earlier junior day last spring and is planning to make a return trip to participate in the Rebels' Elite Camp on July 26.
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"I liked it up there on my first trip," Roberts said on Monday. "I liked the coaches, the campus and how down to earth everything was."
Roberts amassed approximately 95 tackles with eight sacks last season while playing mostly defensive end and saw limited action as a tight end.
This year, his high school coaches plan to use his talents differently. He'll be playing outside linebacker on defense and an have an increased role on offense, where he'll be used at fullback.
Last season's performance was good enough for Roberts to get offers from Ole Miss, Indiana, Louisville, Mississippi State, Purdue and Troy.
Roberts said his best attributes as a defender is his ability to find the ball, fill in gaps and close in for the tackle.
With six offers in hand, Roberts says he's in no hurry to make a commitment.
"I want to wait and see who else offers," he said. "I really don't have a favorite right now."
One of the schools he's waiting on is Auburn, where he camped recently and he makes no secret that he covets an offer from the Tigers.
"After camp, they told me that they're still evaluating me and will stay in touch," he said.
Roberts is being recruiting by Rebel defensive coordinator and linebackers coach Tyrone Nix, who recruits parts of Georgia for Ole Miss.
Meanwhile, Roberts has also camped at UCF, but has no offer from them and is also hearing from Wake Forest and Vanderbilt.
"I liked UCF too," Roberts said. "Their facilities and everything were nice too, like Ole Miss."
While Roberts is in no hurry to make a verbal pledge, he has narrowed down his criteria for picking a school.
"I want to go somewhere where the coaches care for you as a person, just not as a football player," he said. "Academics are also important."
Roberts says he currently carries a GPA of around 2.7 or 2.8 and has taken the SAT once, but wants to improve his score.