Why did he decide to travel over to
Mississippi for the visit?
"They were the first school to offer me,"
added Stephen Roberts. "And their defensive coordinator (Tyrone Nix) is good
friends with my head coach, so I have gotten to know him pretty well."
This
was Stephen's first chance to visit the Oxford campus. Did anyone accompany him?
"Yea,
the whole clan came with me (laughing). My brother, sisters, mother, father, everybody.
We loaded the car down and headed over to Mississippi."
What was their
first impression?
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| Stephen
Roberts | "I liked it. My parents liked it, but
we are just waiting to see if I get anymore scholarship offers before I make my
decision. But I learned a lot of new things about Ole Miss. They are really on
top of their academics. They want their student athletes to succeed in the classroom
before athletics. You know that really impressed my parents (laughing)."
What
stood out the most about Ole Miss for the Starrs Mills product?
"I
just liked the coach's southern hospitality. They are real down to earth and know
a lot of football. They care about you not just on the football field but also
in the classroom."
Coach Nix's relationship with The 6' 3",
215 pound linebacker is also important.
"We talk a lot on the phone.
He makes you work hard and wants to push you, which will not only make you a better
player, it will make the team better. He has a great coaching pedigree. I think
he is one of the best defensive coaches around."
Before Stephen came
on the trip to Ole Miss; what were the issues he was going to key in on during
his visit and what did he learn about those issues?
"I wanted to see
about their academics, and like I said, I found out they check the kids every
day to see what they are doing. They work you hard to keep you up on your tasks."
Roberts
had a chance to take in the Ole Miss scrimmage before leaving the campus and came
away with these observations.
"They have decent linebackers. They
are not the fastest or biggest, but they are hard workers. They get the job done.
They know how to read the ball. I think I might have a chance to play as a freshman,
but at the same time, I will not have a burden on me to be the leader as a freshman.
I can just come in and adapt to the system, and then my sophomore year, really
take on a leadership role."
The Fayettville (GA) resident is also
receiving some heavy interest from several more schools around the South.
"I
am getting recruited pretty hard by Central Florida, Alabama, South Carolina,
East Carolina, Auburn, Purdue, and Duke."
Who else would Roberts like
to check out?
"Out of all of those schools, I would like to see Auburn
the most, but I would also like to see what Alabama has to offer."
What
stands out about Auburn?
"I just like the atmosphere around there.
They have a nice atmosphere. It is not too big or too small. I have been there
for a couple of football games. I just like how it is set up over there."
And
Alabama?
"I have never been to Alabama, but I have been thinking about
going on a visit. They want me to come over there to Jr Day."
The
outside linebacker recorded 97 tackles and 8 sacks as a junior. He has a wingspan
of someone that is 6' 7".
"I think I have a good pursuit after
the ball, and I think I can play some pretty good pass coverage."
Stephen
reports a 4.62 forty and a 3.0 GPA.
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