Roberts eager for next phase

Citadel football coach Kevin Higgins still remembers Andre Roberts' first practice as a Bulldog, more than four years ago.

"He just looked different, even from the upper-class guys who had been in the program several years," Higgins recalled this week. "His hands were so natural, his feet were quicker than anybody else's. You could tell he had a different gear than anybody else."

With one game left in his Citadel career, Roberts has fulfilled every bit of that potential, becoming one of the best receivers ever in the Southern Conference and one of the most decorated players in Bulldogs history.

His career totals of 280 catches, 3,662 receiving yards and 36 TD catches all are Citadel records and stand No. 2 on the SoCon career charts.

But the numbers tell only part of the story for the 5-11, 185-pound senior, who had scholarship offers from only The Citadel and Coastal Carolina coming out of Columbia's Spring Valley High School, and may well end up a first-day pick in next year's NFL draft.

"He's one of those difference-maker guys you look for when you take over a program, " said Higgins, who made Roberts part of his first recruiting class in 2006. "A difference-maker not just in terms of physical ability, but in what they bring to a program in work ethic and leadership."

Roberts' breakthrough season came as a sophomore in 2007, when he caught 78 passes for 1,060 yards and 10 TDs for a team that went 7-4, The Citadel's first winning record since 1997.

Last season, he earned All-America honors by catching 95 passes for 1,334 yards and 14 TDs, and began to draw the attention of NFL scouts by torching Clemson for nine catches, 153 yards and a TD.

"That Clemson game was huge for Andre," Higgins said. "That was a secondary full of potential NFL guys, and he got behind guys. He made some big catches over the middle, ran by guys underneath and over the top, and caught the ball in traffic. That game really showed the scouts what he could do."

Higgins knew that Roberts would be a marked man this season, and his numbers, while still very good -- 72 catches for 711 yards and seven TDs -- show it. Opposing defenses have doubled Roberts all season, and the Bulldogs' inability to develop a No. 2 receiver or a consistent running game explains a lot about their 4-6 record. Catching passes from three different quarterbacks was a factor, as well.

"I'm not too disappointed," Roberts said. "I felt like I was productive this season when I had the chance. I knew I'd get double-teamed and things like that, and you never expect to go through three quarterbacks in a season."

Roberts was timed in a stellar 4.43 seconds for the 40-yard dash before the season started, and NFL scouts have turned up weekly for his games and practices. He's been invited to play in the East-West Shrine Game in January, and seems certain to be asked to attend the NFL Scouting Combine.

"At the beginning of the year, it was hard to know how long I'd have to wait to get to this point," said Roberts, who will graduate in December. "But now, I'm excited to go through this process and see what it is like."

Said Higgins, "Every scout that has come in has said the same thing -- this guy is a bona fide NFL player."

If Higgins has one regret about Roberts' career, it's that the Bulldogs were not able to win more games while they had him. But there is one more victory out there to get, Saturday at Georgia Southern.

"You always hear it goes by fast, but it never hits you until it's actually here," Roberts said. "It is finally here and it's hitting me now. It's my last game, and I just want to go out with a win.

"We haven't had the season we expected. But leaving the team with a win that would help them in the offseason and with recruiting, that would be big for me and all the seniors."