Beth Long’s football recruiting notebook

Neuqua Valley wide receiver Isaiah Robertson, one of the most dynamic prospects in the state, received an offer from Vanderbilt this week. The 6-3, 190-pound prospect also recently added offers from Wisconsin and Maryland.

“I know (Vanderbilt) is really high on academics and education is among the top things they have to offer,” Robertson said. “They have love for Illinois football players, and it’s in the SEC which is always exciting. They are heading in a really good direction this year too.”

Picking up interest from the SEC is an exciting factor for the junior.

“The SEC is a powerhouse, big-time conference,” Robertson said. “And it has been for many years. It’s just really cool to know that I have an opportunity to play in that conference.”

Vanderbilt made the offering process a quick one, which is something that Robertson appreciated. Robertson is excelling at playing both wide receiver and defensive back, but most colleges are interested in his potential on the offensive side of the ball

“They didn’t really say where exactly but they said they loved my play, so if I had to guess it would be at wide receiver,” Robertson said.

Joliet Catholic’s Tyler Witt adding offers

Joliet Catholic senior offensive lineman Tyler Witt (6-3, 305), has piced up a slew of offers so far this season and the Hilltoppers are 5-0 on the season and off to the start they had hoped for.

“I’m really excited about how well our offensive line has been playing,” Witt said. “We have all been really physical and it’s great when you see three or four of our lineman each on top of a different defender on the same play.”

Princeton, Harvard, and Illinois State have all offered this season.

“Recruiting is going well,” Witt said. “I’ve started setting up official visits and am currently narrowing down my list of schools. So far I am taking official visits to Harvard and South Dakota State. I am going to see how the first two visits go before I go ahead and narrow down my list further. I have pros and cons listed for most of my schools so it would be easy for me to determine where to see next.”

Simeon’s Chris Casey one to watch

Simeon senior linebacker Chris Casey (6-2, 190 pounds) has recent interest from UMass, Northern Iowa, Illinois, Stevenson University, Princeton, and Central Missouri so far — and is definitely a prospect to watch.

“My goal is to have to opportunity to play at the division one level,” said Casey.

Casey transferred into Simeon from Richards. He made the move for family reasons and it has been a positive change so far.

“School is going well and the guys have been treating me like I have been there for four years,” Casey said.