Jonathan Battle battles back and Marcquis Roberts wants to look good

Entering his senior season Marcquis Roberts dedicated his summer to getting bigger, but the McEachern (GA) linebacker, despite excelling so far this fall, is vowing to get even bigger and faster before heading off to college next season. “I’m a good team player, I play fast and I play with a lot of heart,” says Roberts about his game.

This season Roberts has anchored a defense that has helped the Indians climb to No. 4 in the Class AAAAA polls and while Roberts won’t credit himself he does admit that he’s been working hard. “It’s been a team effort. We’re working and working hard.” Earlier this season the Indians welcomed in the Lowndes Vikings, ranked No. 2 in the state at the time, and walked out with a win. Roberts helped hold Lowndes tailback Troy Braswell to under 100 yards and spearheaded the defensive effort that allowed the McEachern rally.

While McEachern has been impressive on the field, Roberts has been even more so to college recruiters. Roberts calls SEC power South Carolina his leader because of its facilities and coaching staff. “South Carolina is my top (school) right now,” said Roberts on Monday’s Official Visit, presented by Score Atlanta. “I have family down there and I’ve been there a few times.”

South Carolina’s Steve Spurrier may have the inside track to Roberts but he might be fighting off a hard-charging Mike London and the Virginia Cavaliers. Roberts was impressed by UVA, calling it pretty similar to the Gamecocks program. “South Carolina has the edge in facilities, but Virginia has a nice campus. All they need is a couple of good players and they’ll be set.” Roberts said that London was impressive and the linebacker enjoyed meeting the entire staff.

Skip Holtz and the University of South Florida might also be in the running. Despite not having toured the Tampa campus, Roberts is intrigued. “It’s a very good location. I want to get down there and take a visit.”

Those three schools are sure to get an official visit from Roberts along with West Virginia as the linebacker says he will wait to commit until after he takes his five visits. Roberts was not sure which school might get his fifth visit, but it is sure to be a state outside of the state of Georgia. “I just want to get out and see other states and campuses,” said Roberts of the fact that neither Georgia nor Georgia Tech has shown a ton of interest in the linebacker. And whoever gets Roberts may be in for a treat as standout McEachern tight end Rory Anderson and Roberts have spoken about potentially matriculating to the same school.

At the end of the day, Roberts will have to do what is best for him and not necessarily for the package including Anderson. Roberts did mention that his decision will ultimately come down to academics, coaches, facilities and the jerseys. Roberts says he’ll need to have a nice jersey wherever he goes. Whatever colors Roberts wears next season, he’ll certainly be making plays on the defensive side of the football.

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Jonathan Battle might be the best defensive tackle that you haven’t heard of yet. Battle of Americus-Sumter (GA) missed his junior season with a knee injury and is now still just getting back to 100% healthy. “Football is not guaranteed,” said Battle in an interview with Score Atlanta’s The Official Visit last Monday. Battle admitted that the first time he stepped on the field he was a bit scared, but he says he is getting over it quickly. “I’m starting to geel 100%. It is still a mind thing but on the field you can see it’s getting better.”
The knee injury certainly affected the recruiting process for Battle as many teams dropped communication immediately after the DT hurt his knee. “Georgia is still high on the list, but there’s not been a lot of contact since the injury.” Battle noted that Georgia offensive coordinator Mike Bobo came to spring practice but there hasn’t been a conversation since Battle attended junior day at the school. “I was supposed to get an offer but then I got injured.”
Georgia Tech meanwhile has stayed on Battle’s radar as he calls himself “a big fan of engineering.” “They (the Georgia Tech coaching staff) have been showing a lot of interest and I liked the coaching staff when I went to one of their summer scrimmages,” said Battle of the Yellow Jackets. Battle also likes the fact that Georgia Tech is close enough for his parents to come and visit and he sees some playing time in Al Groh’s 3-4 defense.
The Yellow Jackets, based on the coaches and the location, are one of the three leaders for Battle’s services next season. Battle also likes Georgia Southern, Cincinnati, Arkansas and Louisville. Arkansas offered Battle a scholarship but hasn’t been in contact recently but it was Charlie Strong and Louisville that “never really lost confidence,” in Battle he says. “They believed in me; they’ve been behind me.” Strong impressed Battle and definitely has a chance as the Cardinals were “the first to offer and they’ve been there through everything.”
Battle’s recruitment is likely to take quite a while as the schools are starting to just now notice Battle again as he recovers from the devastating knee injury that threatened to derail his bright future. As the schools start to come after Battle again, he says he’ll be looking for a family-oriented program where he can get a good degree that would help him after college. Battle is just now getting back into the flow of things and the injury may turn out to be a blessing in disguise. From his remarks loyalty will likely play a factor in his recruitment and whomever ends up with his services will be glad they stuck around through the recovery process.