On the Radar: Family is anything but new to the process

It could be an unnerving thing, hearing from some of the big names in college football on a regular basis.

But the recruiting game is nothing new to the Robertson family.

Youngest son, Parker, is drawing strong recruiting interest from a number of Pacific-10 Conference schools and Bowl Championship Series powerhouses, not to mention in-state schools Nevada and UNLV.

He could be the third in the family to end up winning a Division I athletic scholarship.

"I'm glad to kind of know what's going on," Robertson said. "Both of my brothers went through this. They talk to me a lot about just staying focused on the here and now."

Oldest son Nash played baseball at Santa Clara and UC Irvine before pitching in the Pittsburgh Pirates organization for two years.

Kyle, the middle son, played football for Nevada.

It was during a recruiting trip by then-Wolf Pack coach Chris Tormey and Jim Mastro to see Kyle that Parker got his first look.

"Parker wandered into the living room and coach Tormey introduced himself," John Robertson, the boys' dad, said. "He asked Parker if he was going to play for the Wolf Pack some day."

An 11-year-old Parker joked, "I don't know, what if you get fired first?"

Tormey was indeed released the next season.

All jokes aside, the Robertson clan has learned some lessons through the recruiting process.

"Until you have an official offer for a scholarship in your hand, anything can happen," John Robertson said. "It's very exciting, but it's also nerve-wracking. It's an

interesting experience when a coach comes to your house."

There are certain tell-tale signs.

"If the head coach is the one who is visiting, it's a pretty good bet that a scholarship offer is coming," he said. "They all have unique approaches in selling their schools."

With Nash, the Robertsons fielded interest in both baseball and basketball.

"Baseball coaches are different," John Robertson said. "They are more laid back, more mello. They don't have heavy sales pitches because a full-ride scholarship in baseball is almost unheard of."

Football with Kyle, though, brought a different approach.

"Division I schools are making a huge investment in you as an athlete, so they are very particular and selective when they offer," John Robertson said. "They look at a lot more than your ability on the field.

"These bigger schools, they'll narrow things down to their top 10 guys at a certain position and all 10 are of equal athletic ability. At that point it comes down to intangibles " character, work ethic, coachability, academics, community service.

"You just don't know what the intangible will be that could set you apart."

John Robertson said with increased regulations on graduation rates, college coaches are becoming more concerned with the type of students they are bringing in.

"Parker has been carrying a 4.0 the last two year and his test scores have been good," he said. "That stuff comes into play.

"Kids that are fortunate enough to be able to get an athletic scholarship should pick a school with good academics. It'll help you out the rest of your life.

"Athletics is so fleeting. Very few people make a living at it. You need to go somewhere you're comfortable with the academic program. Make sure they have majors you are interested in.

"Do everything you have to do to get the best education possible out of the deal."

John Robertson said Parker is already the most heavily of his three sons already.

"My wife and I really respect Parker's coaches," he said. "Coach Rippee and Monfiletto are tremendous individuals and they have worked so hard to communicate with these schools for Parker and keep this whole thing in perspective.

"It's tremendous that there are so many coaches coming to the Reno area to see the athletes up here. It helps out these small-town kids. They may come to see someone from a Reno school, but these coaches see the whole game, both sides.

"It only opens up more options for the kids around here."