RB Jacquez Robertson talks commitment to Northern Colorado

Mission Viejo is one of the top public school programs in the state and has produced several outstanding collegiate players and a handful of NFL players. This season is no exception with the Diablos having <a href="https://prepredzone.com/2020/12/early-signing-period-orange-county-signees/">seven players sign letters of intent</a> to Division 1 schools on the early signing day earlier this month. One of those players has flown under the radar despite being very productive on the field: running back <a href="https://prepredzone.com/2020/11/weekly-recruiting-report-7/">Jacquez Robertson</a>. Robertson was the primary running back for a team that had 35 rushing touchdowns and averaged over 35 points per game last season in one of the most competitive leagues in the state. He rushed for 832 yards on 155 carries with 15 touchdowns in just 12 games, helping lead the Diablos to an 11-1 record. https://twitter.com/C_Morrissette/status/1195548924716580864?s=20 Robertson would have put up more gaudy numbers, but Mission Viejo’s excellent defense and special teams often created short fields for the offense. He credits his offensive line, led by Northern Arizona signee Micah Carreon and Arizona signee [player_tooltip player_id="25164" first="JT" last="Hand"] for his success. Robertson also gets to shine because the Diablos had so many playmakers on offense to worry about, like quarterback [player_tooltip player_id="25053" first="Peter" last="Costelli"], and Cal signee [player_tooltip player_id="25046" first="Mavin" last="Anderson"]. "Having a lot of playmakers on the offensive side definitely helps with the run game," Robertson said. "The offensive line plays a very important role because without their help, I wouldn’t be in the endzone at the end of every drive." People in South Orange County know that certain public schools belong to the city and there is a pride that the players feel about playing for their school and community. Mission Viejo, despite a history of having higher transfer rates than other public schools in the area, is one of those schools where people in the area with no connection to the football team attend football games and is aware of how the program is doing. Several players grow up playing Junior All-American football for the Mission Viejo Cowboys or Pop Warner football looking forward to the day where they can play in that stadium on Friday nights. Robertson, much like his teammate [player_tooltip player_id="25216" first="Ryder" last="Fitch"], always saw himself playing on Friday nights in the red and yellow uniforms of the Diablos. "Playing at Mission Viejo has a been a dream come true. It has shown me the true public school pride," Robertson said. "We are patiently waiting for the green light and we will be ready to face anyone to get that ring." Fortunately, not every college program slept on Robertson. He had an offer from San Diego State and was in contact with schools like Boston College and Idaho State before committing to Northern Colorado on November 24. https://twitter.com/LanceSmithTPC/status/1175153226858938368?s=20 Robertson loves football and enjoyed being able to talk to various college coaches about their programs and what his role could possibly be. Despite never taking an official visit to Northern Colorado, Robertson felt comfortable committing there because of the coaching staff’s efforts to court him and his family. Running backs coach and recruiting coordinator Lyle Moevao was instrumental in Robertson’s commitment. "I really like how Northern Colorado connected with my family and me," Robertson said. "I talk to Coach Moevao about twice a week which is really good." Robertson signed with the Bears on the early signing day and will play for coach Ed McCaffrey, who is a former Super Bowl champion with the Denver Broncos. Northern Colorado is scheduled to begin a six game season on February 27 at Idaho. As for his senior season, Robertson is hoping he and his Mission Viejo teammates get to play some sort of a season. The past few seasons, Mission Viejo has had dominant regular seasons and fallen to Mater Dei in the semifinals of the CIF-SS Division 1 playoffs. He and the Diablo players have been working hard to get over that hump and bring home its first CIF championship under coach Chad Johnson. "Our team has done everything in its power to be the best that we can be and we’ve worked so hard these last few months," Robertson said. "We’re just waiting for the day that they give us our chance to play and I know we’ll make the most of it."