Demetris Robertson would have gone to visit UGA this weekend. It is just that the UGA recruiting machine is in recharge mode right now.
“Those coaches are out with their families and stuff,” said Carlos Robertson, his guardian and older brother. “They are doing their thing and recharging. I understand the nature of it. They need some down time. Those guys need to go and be with their families.”
He said that UGA coach Kirby Smart has a plan in mind for when they do make the trip.
“They want to make sure everything is laid out for him when he comes up,” Robertson said. “They want the whole team there and have it all out there and everything lined up for when he comes up there.”
According to his older brother and guardian, the nation’s No. 1 receiver is not visiting anywhere this weekend. That makes sense on a lot of counts. Its also really short-sighted to think that UGA is missing even a shred of an opportunity here.
The UGA staff would run on cases of Red Bull if that was what was necessary to reel in Robertson this weekend, but it would be the recruiting equivalent of a full leg workout an hour before the SEC Championship game.
It is not necessary. The UGA staff also wants to position its visit for maximum impact — as in his last look after a potential Stanford or an Alabama visit, if possible. No one wants to be the first visit at this point.
The race for Robertson isn’t really even set to begin until Feb. 11. That’s the projected date when Robertson receives his scores from a recent SAT assessment. The 5-star prospect hopes to improve his score by some 100 points to qualify for admission to Stanford.
That’s the way the official visit game is played at Stanford. The score gains admission. When a prospect gains admission, he’s permitted to take an official visit to see the campus. That leads to two scenarios. Both of them mean that his recruiting won’t likely wrap for at least another 10 days.
Scenario 1: Robertson gets the score and visits Stanford. It still won’t be the weekend of Feb. 12. That’s too tight a turnaround even for a speedster like Robertson. The Stanford visit will either happen mid-week or the weekend of Feb. 19.
The current plan is also for no visits on the weekend of Feb. 12. That’s because Robertson also plays basketball for Savannah Christian. The region tournament will be held that weekend and his hoops squad is the No. 1 seed.
Robertson also has two official visits left. If he makes that score, then the decision will come down to taking two official visits from a pool that includes UGA, Alabama and Stanford. Bet on Stanford getting one of those and the final visit coming down to UGA or Alabama.
Scenario 2: No one wants to see this happen, but it is another reality to consider. If Robertson did not reach the flat score required by Stanford, then his decision comes down to UGA, Alabama, Cal, Georgia Tech and Notre Dame. Don’t count out Notre Dame. The Fighting Irish are a legitimate player in this race.
The Savannah Christian standout has taken official visits to Cal, Georgia Tech and Notre Dame. Then it becomes a matter of taking mid-week or weekend official visits to UGA and Alabama. The starting line for those seems like they could possibly start taking place as early as Feb. 15 or Feb. 16.
It will also be very important to track which visits Robertson’s mother will be able to attend over the next two to three weeks.
Georgia’s shot at landing Robertson will rise if it can provide him with a great example of how his life after football would shape up once his playing days are over. That family be interested in learning about the network and the job opportunities across the state in his field of study.
With Robertson, it’s always set up as the program that shows him the best example of for potential success after football will likely land him.
It is so fluid a situation that it seems haphazard to even warrant a guess as to when Robertson will make his final decision. The best possible target, weighing all the current conditions, seems to be somewhere around Feb. 20.
His older brother also said that making the SAT score which earns that official visit to Stanford does not necessarily mean he will choose Stanford. He will still have to see how he feels about that academic and athletic opportunity compared to what’s available for him at UGA, Alabama, Cal, Georgia Tech and Notre Dame.
“We want to take our time to make sure we make a good informed decision,” Carlos Robertson said. “It could extend out another couple of weeks. We want to make sure we nail the academic side of things. We only get this one shot. I want to make sure this is right because I would be serving my brother a great injustice if I made him feel like we had to rush it.” Unless otherwise indicated, player rankings and ratings are from the 247Sports Composite.
Jeff Sentell covers UGA football and UGA recruiting for AJC.com and The Atlanta Journal-Constitution. Follow him on Twitter for the latest on who’s on their way to play Between the Hedges.
