At 45 and Counting: Tyler Roberts Faces The Recruiting Process

Tyler Roberts is facing his future. More appropriately, it’s stalking him. 

The Palm Desert junior is a two-sport athlete, but best known as a star on the football field as an All-Desert Valley League defensive end and offensive guard for the Aztecs. 

From Harvard to Sacramento State, college scouts have taken notice as well.  Actually, more than just a few.  

Roberts has received letters of interest from over 45 different colleges and universities heading into his senior year.  

“I still have another year to think things through,” Roberts says. “Lots of things can change between now and then.” 

But Tyler isn’t resting on his laurels and content to be a force at the prep level.  He’s already looking for what is needed and wanted at the top universities. 

“I feel like I need to improve everything,” he says. “You can never be perfect at anything. But I’m going to try to be as close as possible in everything I do.” 

With still another year in the DVL still ahead, Roberts keeps busy by training under former NFL player and local coach Woody Germany. Germany is working with Tyler daily on improving things that the scouts are looking for, even though they may not be important to being a collegiate level defensive end.  

“They’re still timing kids on their speed in the 40, or on how much they bench press,” Germany says. “Last time I checked, 40 never tackled anybody, never threw a touchdown. All 40 can do is run someone down on a straight line. Same with bench press and squat, but this is still the standard they go by.” 

Regardless of the standards, Roberts has been impressing college recruiters at camps across the nation. Posting high marks at his position in an LSU camp last summer, scouts there were surprised that Roberts was still a junior. He was the top underclassman at the USC camp in 2010, but admits to misplacing the shirt given him to commemorate the accomplishment. 

Tyler also earned a varsity letter in basketball, a game he loves. He uses the varsity level game as a way to keep his body and mind in shape for football. 

“After football ends, if you take six or seven months off, you lose that competitive mindset,” the two-sport letterman says. “Your mental mindset isn’t there, it takes you two or three weeks to get back into it. You want to be physically out there, but pickup games aren’t the same intensity.” 

Spring for Roberts doesn’t include baseball, but it still isn’t a kick-back time. 

He’ll be attending more camps and training, trying to improve his already solid game. Very competitive, he’s concerned of how he compares with others that are already playing at the next level. 

He shouldn’t be. At 6-2 and 250, he already compares in size to some NFL defensive stars, though colleges seem to be intent on recruiting players that are taller and heavier. 

Tyler’s dad says that’s part of the problem.  

Even though the younger Roberts may consistently outplay bigger competitors, Jeff Roberts and Germany agree that many colleges are obsessed with pure bulk and size at Tyler’s position.  

“I was told by a friend that played for Alabama, not to send Tyler there,” Jeff said. “Even if Tyler is better, they’ll still play the 6-5 or 6-6 guy.. even if he beat them in every drill.” Germany said it’s a similar case at many top universities.  Size matters. 

With months left to make a decision on where to go for college, it’s a tough decision for Tyler and his family. 

 “It’s gotta be the right fit for him,” Jeff says. “It’s got to be somewhere where he [Tyler] can go and play.  It can’t be a spot where we want him to go, and he’ll sit there and be miserable.” 

But how important is playing as a true freshman?

“A year of redshirting [not playing as a freshman] would be great for him,” Jeff admitted. “Get his feet on the ground, goes to football, goes to school… that’s a good thing.” 

Tyler said that even after talking with numerous coaches and recruiters, he doesn’t have a clear-cut choice of where would like to attend college. 

“What a lot of recruiters say.. it’s 65 percent b.s. anyway,” Tyler said. “You don’t really know what’s hot air and what’s true fact.” 

But Tyler has a clear vision of his future. He wants to go into broadcasting or sports management, with a minor in business, to keep his post-college otions open.

So with a year to sort fact from truth, and to further impress scouts with another season in the DVL, Tyler knows his collegiate options are still wide open.