Notre Dame’s Blue-Gold weekend got off to a good start with the commitment of Illinois prospect Isaiah Robertson. The 6-foot-3, 205-pounder from Naperville became commitment number 10 for the 2017 recruiting class, a group that’s exponentially grown this spring.
Robertson is on campus this weekend for the spring game and made things official via social media:
A consensus, 4-star, top-200 prospect, Robertson is one of the top players in the Chicagoland area and has offers from a majority of the Big Ten, though not from the conference’s elite. But as a big-bodied athlete who can play on either side of the ball, the Irish staff felt good enough about their projections for his future and offered him earlier this month and very quickly Robertson awarded their faith with a commitment.
He spoke to BlueandGold.com’s Andrew Ivins about the decision:“I have a good opportunity in front of me,” Robertson said two weeks ago when he landed an offer from the Irish during an unofficial visit.
“When I say opportunity I’m not even talking about football,” he added. "[I’m] mainly talking about academics, character building, connections, and just the kind of man I would be when my 4 years are up at Notre Dame.”
In many ways, Robertson feels like a James Onwualu-type prospect. As a high school prospect, Onwualu was a better football player than he was a positional player, and the Irish reaped the benefits of an early offer by watching him finding role in the starting lineup on both sides of the ball.
Robertson projects as a safety at the next level, with length and athleticism that’ll certainly play in the Irish’s rebuilt secondary. He’s starred as a prep receiver and safety as an 8A All-State performer, with the current thought being get him on campus as a skill recruit and go from there.
Notre Dame’s staff took to the net to make the commitment official, with recruiting coordinator Mike Elston weighing in and head coach Brian Kelly sending out the celebratory hashtag.
🍀🍀🍀🍀🍀🍀🍀🍀🍀🍀!
— Mike Elston (@CoachMikeElston) April 15, 2016
I love when a plan comes together!!#IRISHEL17E
— Brian Kelly (@CoachBrianKelly) April 15, 2016
Robertson will join a number of fellow commitments on campus this weekend as the Irish continue to build out a 2017 recruiting class that’s currently viewed as one of the nation’s best.