Soon there after, the Irish coaching staff got the verbal commitment they were looking for.
Before leaving South Bend on his official visit to Notre Dame, the Newbury Park (Calif.) High running back gave his verbal commitment to the Irish staff.
“I talked to a bunch of the players, and they told me pretty much after they graduate, all the connections you have, and the degree you get from there, and that kind of got it going. Then I thought about it a little more, and I kind of got that thought of going there. Then I think the campus tour finalized it. Pretty much visiting all the facilities and looking at some of the history that’s been at that school.”
The 6-foot-1, 215-pound Roberson kept his verbal commitment under cover for a day, so he could notify Northwestern head coach Pat Fitzgerald of his decision. Besides the Wildcats, Roberson chose Notre Dame over offers from Washington, Arizona, BYU, Minnesota and Utah, and becomes the 15th player to commit in the Irish's 2010 recruiting class.
“I got a big hand shake and a hug from (running backs) coach (Tony) Alford, and then my mom started crying,” Roberson said. His father, uncle and mom’s friend also made the trip to Notre Dame. “My mom was really happy. Then we told (head) coach (Charlie) Weis later, and had another meeting with him.
“They were all just saying they were glad to have me on the team.”
It’s easy to see why.
As a junior, Roberson rushed for 1,452 yards and 18 touchdowns. Back in July, when Notre Dame offered him, he was concerned about what his role would be in the Notre Dame offense. After seeing how the Irish utilized bigger backs Jonas Gray and James Aldridge in the 35-0 victory over Nevada, Roberson saw that Weis’ attack was definitely the one for him.
Now, Roberson can’t wait to play that role next fall.
“I’d say the fans and the game atmosphere, playing in front of 80,000 people every game and being on national television every game," Roberson said of what excites him the most. "Just that whole atmosphere, because they love their football at Notre Dame.”
Click here to read yesterday’s Irish Sports Daily’s story, where Roberson recapped his official visit.
