Super 11: Vero Beach WR Isaiah Roberts continuing to unlock his full potential

Big plays have become a staple for Vero Beach wide receiver Isaiah Roberts throughout his high school career.

As Roberts enters his senior season with a new team, the talented playmaker has learned that building better practice habits can not only help his team but also can unlock more opportunities at the next level.

Roberts grabs a spot on TCPalm's Super 11 high school football recruits as one of the few on the list currently not committed to a college. He knows a big season can take care of his future and help the team succeed.

"I think we can be real good," Roberts said about the season prospects. "We play together as a brotherhood. My expectations are states or nothing."

Filling in big shoes

Prior to coming to Vero Beach, Roberts had developed into a danger man when the ball was in his hands playing at Centennial.

For the Eagles as a sophomore, Roberts jumped onto the scene catching 30 passes for 701 yards and eight touchdowns. As a junior, he caught 31 passes for 429 yards and five touchdowns.

After deciding to make the move to Vero Beach after the season, Roberts showed the flashes that his new team needed, as Vero will look to collectively replace the production of departed star Vandrevius Jacobs, now a freshman at Florida State.

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Vero Beach head coach Lenny Jankowski has credited Roberts' efforts to carry his focus into performing at his best every day in practice to improvement at the finer points of being a wide receiver.

"We've had a couple lengthy one-on-one sit-downs with him learning to be a great practice player and that was not one of his strengths," Jankowski said. "As time has progressed, he's really come to practice every day that he wants to get better at his craft and improve. I think as that's happened, he's become a much more consistent player.

"He's really talented, very gifted once the ball is in his hands. He's the type of player when you're in a tough situation in a game, his game will rise in those situations. He has a lot of that makeup."

Where will he go next?

The talent Roberts has even before he came over to Vero Beach had yielded opportunities for him at the next level.

Pittsburgh extended the 5-foot-11, 175-pound receiver his first offer in May of 2022 and FAU offered him in September.

Since coming to his new school, more colleges have taken notice. Liberty and Rhode Island extended him offers and a number of schools have been in contact with Roberts as they will follow him during the season.

In Vero's spring game against Heritage, Roberts caught eight passes for 145 yards and two touchdowns, showing that his rapport with quarterback and SMU commit Tyler Aronson is strong with the continuity they've built in practice.

Roberts is hoping an offer from Florida State, his dream school, could happen if he takes off his senior season.

"I've been talking to Troy, FAU and Liberty a lot, but I'm still keeping my options open," Roberts said.

This article originally appeared on Treasure Coast Newspapers: Vero Beach WR Isaiah Roberts eyes star role in 2023