South Pittsburgh's Dejion Roberson has been nominated as one of the Times Free Press's Dynamite Dozen area football players for 2011.D.J. ROBERSONNo. 6School: South PittsburgHeight: 6-foot-5Weight: 315College interest: Middle Tennessee, UTC
It took less than 20 minutes for D.J. Roberson to answer all the questions that had been building for several weeks. Shortly after the 6-foot-5, 315-pound Roberson had transferred back to South Pittsburg from Lakeview-Fort Oglethorpe, Pirates coaches had wondered aloud if his ability matched his mammoth size.
"You just never know until you see a kid in action if they can play," Pirates coach Vic Grider said. "We knew he was a big, fast, athletic-looking kid, but we wondered what we had. Until we got in pads. After just a few reps, we all kind of looked at each other and knew he could be special. It was obvious he has a lot of talent and he's been well-coached.
"We've had a good run of athletes, but we just don't get kids his size here. He has the ability to be as good as any player we've ever had here."
Roberson was a starter at LFO last season and already was gaining a reputation in recruiting circles as a high-energy prospect who moved well for his size and played with a bit of a nasty streak. That ability and the potential that has several college scouts making plans to watch him play make Roberson the area's No. 6 prospect on this year's Times Free Press Dynamite Dozen list.
Just minutes into the Pirates' first day in pads, Roberson had made several pancake blocks and showed flashes of the agility that has college scouts interested.
Although he had attended school in South Pittsburg until his sixth-grade year, Roberson said he didn't remember much about the football program that excites the town so much each fall.
"I remember some of it, but I keep hearing all the guys talk about how exciting it is here on game days and I'm anxious to get to be a part of it," Roberson said. "I was amazed at how fast everybody on the team accepted me back.
"All I want to do is help the team win as many games as we can. That's what I came here to do."
Grider said he's also aware that there will be rumors about how Roberson wound up back with the Pirates.
"I can see where somebody would say that we just went out and got us a good player," Grider said. "But D.J. is from here and we hadn't had any contact with him until he came by the field house this summer and said his family was coming back and he wanted to play here. Now, we didn't waste any time getting his paperwork filled out once he said that.
"I'm not too worried about what anybody else says. I'm just glad he came back here, because he not only has a lot of talent, but he's got an energy about him and an attitude that I believe is going to be real good for our team."
