Thibodaux athlete making most of NFL 2nd chance
December 28, 2016
LSU eager to tangle with Louisville
December 28, 2016
I watched a lot of high school football this season – even more than I normally do.
I attended a lot of games in person, of course, but that wasn’t enough to feed my fix. I also watched tons of film while making highlight videos for our Top Plays of the Week Series.
I saw every local team play multiple times and I saw locals compete against top-flight competition.
But through all the games, all the schools and all the young men I was blessed to see in the 2016 season, one player stood out most to me, and he is the subject of my column today – the last Casey’s Corner of 2016.
That guy is Thibodaux athlete Amik Robertson.
To me, Robertson is electric – one of the best pure athletes that I’ve ever seen in my seven years covering local sports and my 25-years watching games as a Lafourche-born fan.
Robertson is a Louisiana Tech commitment right now, but many have speculated that his recruitment is very much wide open as offers continue to pile in.
If it were up to me, I know where I’d send Robertson for the next four years.
To me, he’s an LSU-caliber player – through and through.
The thing that makes Robertson special is his versatility. He can do so many different things on the football field.
For Thibodaux, Robertson’s claim to fame was as a wide receiver/halfback/quarterback. He does just about everything for the Tigers’ offense, serving as one of the team’s top rushers, passers and receivers.
On literally any given play, the young man is capable of making something special happen. He possesses top-flight speed and quality playmaking ability.
His playmaking overwhelmed opponents and allowed the Tigers to have another quality season in District 7-5A.
But his abilities go far deeper than offense.
To me, Robertson is one of the best defensive backs in Louisiana – a ball-hawking safety/corner back who always finds his way to the football.
Robertson is undersized, yes.
But it doesn’t matter, because his IQ for the game doesn’t ever place him into positions where he can be outclassed physically.
Others who know the game agree.
Robertson had one of the most productive summers of any Class of 2017 recruit this past offseason, attending just about every camp in the Southeast to showcase his skills.
At most camps, Robertson dominated the competition, locking down top-flight receivers. His performances were often so good that Robertson collected countless awards and accolades over the summer for his offseason dominance.
And now, it’s time for Ed Orgeron and the rest of the LSU recruiting staff to take action.
I’d love nothing more than to see the Tigers come in and offer Robertson a scholarship before National Signing Day, because I truly believe he’s one of the best pure football players in the state – to hell with his height or weight.
Robertson is undersized and underrated, owning a three-star rating at most recruiting services.
But guess what?
So was Tyrann Mathieu – a player that a lot of teams were hesitant about because of all of the same issues.
Mathieu panned out beautifully and is one of the most dominant players in the history of LSU football.
We’re not saying Robertson will do all of those things, but we’re just saying he deserves a shot to showcase himself.
The tape doesn’t lie.
The kid is a football player – one who is more than capable of playing in the SEC.
LSU could use another player like the Honey Badger. It’s time for Coach O and his guys to give Robertson a shot.
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SPEAKING OF LSU …
I’ve been asked by readers non-stop over the past few days to break down the Tigers matchup with Louisville on New Years’ Eve, so I’ll dedicate a couple inches of space here to doing exactly that.
As everyone knows, LSU is taking on Louisville in the Citrus Bowl – a matchup of teams with contrasting styles.
On one hand, there are the Tigers – a tough, physical team that loves to win football games with its running game and defense.
On the other, there are the Cardinals, who are the exact opposite. They love to spread teams out, use pass-happy sets and score 50 or 60 points to win games.
The matchup is exciting, and it’s one of the sexiest bowl games on paper.
But I have a lot of reasons to be fearful for LSU.
I’m worried about the early, 10 a.m. kickoff and how that might affect the Tigers’ interest level throughout Saturday’s game.
LSU doesn’t usually play well in early games. They kicked off at noon once this season and were flat as can be, losing to Florida.
That worries me.
It’s also troubling to wonder what LSU’s defense can do to slow Heisman Trophy Winner Lamar Jackson – especially without middle linebacker Kendall Beckwith, who will miss the game with a knee injury.
But for all of my concerns, I think the Tigers will find enough answers to the above-stated questions and find a way to win.
I think Danny Etling will be able to take advantage of some mismatches against the Cardinals defensive backs, which will allow the Tigers to hang a crooked number on Louisville.
Give me LSU in a 34-28 game.
I think it’s going to come down to the wire, though.
I think the MVP of the game will be D.J. Chark.
Something tells me he’s going to find a way to get behind the Cardinals defensive backs. •
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