By Kevin Lonnquist
Publisher
Sawyer Robertson will forever keep the text message in his phone.
The night before he suffered his fatal heart attack, the late Mississippi State head coach Mike Leach sent his up-and-coming quarterback a text about what it takes to play the most scrutinized position in football.
It read: “Don’t overthink anything. Just react. You’re at your best when you’re in the moment.”
At the time, it was another in the long list of notes Robertson received from the man he wanted to play for all his life growing up in Lubbock.
No big deal then. It means everything now.
“I wanted to be on the list of great quarterbacks who ever played for him,’’ Robertson said. “Kliff Kingsbury. Graham Harrell. All those guys. His impact on me was huge. He taught me so much. Maybe the greatest thing he ever taught me was not to care what others thing. Just be yourself.’’
But Leach’s death changed Robertson’s outlook. He decided to leave Starkville, MS. Robertson went into the NCAA transfer portal.
“I grew up in Lubbock and was huge Leach fan,’’ he said. “Dealing with his death was hard to describe. He just meant so much to so many people.’’
In a tug-o-war with TCU, the Bears won out. On Tuesday, the one-time Rivals 4-star announced he was coming to Baylor’s program. Robertson has three years of eligibility remaining. He arrives on campus this weekend.
“The past 8-10 days have been non-stop,’’ he said. “But it was a combination of things. It was a very tough decision. Those guys at TCU [head coach Sonny Dykes and former OC Garrett Riley] recruited me at SMU.
“But the one thing that did it was that I had never been to Baylor’s campus before last week. I just wanted to get a feel for that and meet all the coaches. It was unbelievable. Dave Aranda is one of the classiest human beings I’ve ever met.’’
Robertson reviewed the offense with offensive coordinator Jeff Grimes and quarterbacks coach Shawn Bell. Film review became fast and furious.
“What stood out to me is how similar a bunch of NFL offenses are to this one,’’ he said. “Really different from the air raid. But you gotta score points and put your team in the best position to win.’’
Robertson came into the 2022 season with a chance to unseat Will Rogers as the starter. He had all the credentials from a remarkable high school career, ranking eighth all time in completions (813), 10th in touchdowns (135) and 13th in yards (11,302).
For his 2022 season with the Bulldogs, Robertson made token appearances in three games completing, 6-11-1 for 23 yards.
At Baylor, Robertson is the second scholarship QB on the roster. Competing with incumbent Blake Shapen for the starting job in 2023 will unfold the way it should. Robertson doesn’t identify himself a pro-style or dual threat quarterback. He’s just in the business of making a play with his arm or legs depending on how the play develops.
“I really didn’t think about the roster,’’ Robertson said. “It’s out of my control. A lot of this stuff with quarterbacks is luck. Who’s to say those schools are going to be in the market for a QB. I honestly view this as a blessing.
“As for competing for the job, I can’t answer that. I’m just going to go in there and do my best.’’
Publisher
Sawyer Robertson will forever keep the text message in his phone.
The night before he suffered his fatal heart attack, the late Mississippi State head coach Mike Leach sent his up-and-coming quarterback a text about what it takes to play the most scrutinized position in football.
It read: “Don’t overthink anything. Just react. You’re at your best when you’re in the moment.”
At the time, it was another in the long list of notes Robertson received from the man he wanted to play for all his life growing up in Lubbock.
No big deal then. It means everything now.
“I wanted to be on the list of great quarterbacks who ever played for him,’’ Robertson said. “Kliff Kingsbury. Graham Harrell. All those guys. His impact on me was huge. He taught me so much. Maybe the greatest thing he ever taught me was not to care what others thing. Just be yourself.’’
But Leach’s death changed Robertson’s outlook. He decided to leave Starkville, MS. Robertson went into the NCAA transfer portal.
“I grew up in Lubbock and was huge Leach fan,’’ he said. “Dealing with his death was hard to describe. He just meant so much to so many people.’’
In a tug-o-war with TCU, the Bears won out. On Tuesday, the one-time Rivals 4-star announced he was coming to Baylor’s program. Robertson has three years of eligibility remaining. He arrives on campus this weekend.
“The past 8-10 days have been non-stop,’’ he said. “But it was a combination of things. It was a very tough decision. Those guys at TCU [head coach Sonny Dykes and former OC Garrett Riley] recruited me at SMU.
“But the one thing that did it was that I had never been to Baylor’s campus before last week. I just wanted to get a feel for that and meet all the coaches. It was unbelievable. Dave Aranda is one of the classiest human beings I’ve ever met.’’
Robertson reviewed the offense with offensive coordinator Jeff Grimes and quarterbacks coach Shawn Bell. Film review became fast and furious.
“What stood out to me is how similar a bunch of NFL offenses are to this one,’’ he said. “Really different from the air raid. But you gotta score points and put your team in the best position to win.’’
Robertson came into the 2022 season with a chance to unseat Will Rogers as the starter. He had all the credentials from a remarkable high school career, ranking eighth all time in completions (813), 10th in touchdowns (135) and 13th in yards (11,302).
For his 2022 season with the Bulldogs, Robertson made token appearances in three games completing, 6-11-1 for 23 yards.
At Baylor, Robertson is the second scholarship QB on the roster. Competing with incumbent Blake Shapen for the starting job in 2023 will unfold the way it should. Robertson doesn’t identify himself a pro-style or dual threat quarterback. He’s just in the business of making a play with his arm or legs depending on how the play develops.
“I really didn’t think about the roster,’’ Robertson said. “It’s out of my control. A lot of this stuff with quarterbacks is luck. Who’s to say those schools are going to be in the market for a QB. I honestly view this as a blessing.
“As for competing for the job, I can’t answer that. I’m just going to go in there and do my best.’’
