Justin Robertson (Lakewood HS, CA) signs with Western Illinois

Good news for Lakewood High School Running Back Justin Robertson, after going unsigned in February during the signing period, Roberston signed with Western Illinois.

March 30, 2006
Recruitment finally over for Lakewood RB
Greg Biggins
StudentSportsFootball.com Recruiting Analyst
It took a little longer than expected, but the recruitment of talented Lakewood (Calif.) fullback Justin Robertson has finally come to an end. The athlete said he'll be signing later today with Western Illinois University.

Rivals.com
Cali RB Justin Robertson is headed to Western Illinois

"It was a strange recruitment year for me," Robertson said. "There were some disappointing moment for sure but I feel I finally found the perfect school for me. WIU has everything I was looking for in a Div I program. The entire WIU coaching staff are extremely excited about my decision to come on board and they have made me feel really comfortable throughout this hectic process.

"I'm looking forward to playing in the fall for Coach (Don) Patterson. He and his staff have been upfront and honest in our dealings and showed patience in allowing me to ponder my decision over these last two months. I was also looking at Nevada and San Diego State but I chose WIU because they recruited me as a true running back and have expressed high expectations of me to come in and play as a true freshman.

"Even more important for me, WIU has an excellent academic program and is the only D-1 college that allows it's players to take a Sports Medicine major. I'm going to be studying Kinesiology in hopes of pursuing a future career in professional athletics training. I actually committed Wednesday night to Thomas Casey, who had been recruiting me since the summer.

"Coach Casey told me they were fed exing the letter of intent to me and my plan is to take the letter and sign it at the bedside of my grandfather. He's my biggest fan and is in the hospital right now after having surgery today. So I'm going to go sign it with him and then fax it over to WIU later today. It definitely has been a long time coming but I'm glad it's finally over."

Robertson, 5-11, 225 pounds had a big senior season and was selected all-CIF and league player of the year after rushing for 1,289 yards and 18 touchdowns. He was set to commit to Colorado in January but had his official trip canceled when the new staff took over. Several schools including Washington, Oregon and Oregon State, who had previously offered Robertson, filled their running back slots and Robertson was left playing the waiting game, a game that finally ended today.