No stage too big for Louisiana Tech CB Amik Robertson

Don’t expect Amik Robertson to be intimidated Saturday in Baton Rouge.

Louisiana Tech’s star cornerback has come to LSU before and downright dominated — albeit in a recruiting camp setting — and has never exactly shied away from competition.

And this week, as his Bulldogs visit the Tigers, Robertson is excited for his opportunity to get a brief glimpse of a dream that at one point nearly became reality.

“It’s going to be a blessing, because I was the only person in my family to really make it this far,” the 5-foot-9, 172-pound sophomore says. “So it’s gonna be a blessing. I’ve been dreaming of playing in Tiger Stadium, but this time I’m on the opposite side, which makes it even better because now I’ve got a point to prove.

“Right now, I’m not on the top-dog team. I’m on the underdog team. And I’ve been an underdog my whole life, so I’m gonna go into that game with a lot of high expectations for myself.”

Robertson established himself among Louisiana’s top defensive backs as a junior at Thibodaux, only to find out in January 2016 that he had done so on a torn ACL.

His recruitment began to explode that spring, including a Louisiana Tech offer in May, as he rehabbed.

And, once finally healthy that July, LSU’s Elite Prospects Camp served as somewhat of a coming-out party.

“Amik was fresh off an ACL surgery — actually, just cleared,” remembers former LSU and NFL safety Ryan Clark, who worked with the defensive backs that week. “He was the most impressive DB there. His talent stood out, but it was his competitive spirit that was most impressive. He wanted every rep, every snap he could get.

“If you beat him — which Justin Jefferson did — he would hop right back up. He is fact, quick, explosive and much stronger than his size indicates. He will be a Sunday guy.”

Destrehan’s Jefferson, now LSU’s leading receiver, was the only prospect to muster any level of notable success against Robertson.

The District 7-5A rivals went back and forth in one of the more memorable ongoing camp matchups in recent years.

Robertson eventually reported a scholarship offer from the Tigers months later, in the final weeks before National Signing Day.

But LSU instead completed its defensive backs class with cornerbacks Jontre Kirklin, Kary Vincent Jr.; safeties Grant Delpit, Todd Harris and JaCoby Stevens; and then-receiver Mannie Netherly, who moved to cornerback as a freshman.

“I had to make a decision between the dream and reality,” Robertson said. “Coming to Louisiana Tech felt like home. Coming from a small town in Thibodaux, coming to Louisiana Tech, it fit perfectly, and I was far away from home where I am able to focus on my craft. I knew going to BR, closer to home, I might not be able to be locked in like I am today.”

Robertson went on to start all 13 games as a true freshman and lead Louisiana Tech with five interceptions for 141 yards, including a 45-yard return for a touchdown against No. 25 SMU in the DXL Frisco Bowl.

He ranked third on his team with 62 tackles, including 7.5 for loss and two sacks, and earned Football Writers Association of America (FWAA) Freshman All-American honors.

“(Louisiana Tech coach) Skip (Holtz) and I obviously have a long track record, and I would always follow him,” says Jeff Burris, the Bulldogs’ first-year defensive backs coach. “I was fortunate throughout the year to have the opportunity to watch a couple games and watch the bowl game and said, ‘Man, who is this kid?’ Just seeing him out there as a true freshman making plays and, I mean, leading. It’s rare that you have a freshman that has the disposition about him to be confident enough to be vocal, but also to lead in his own different way. I think that’s what grabbed my attention the entire time.

“As I was watching the bowl game, I’m thinking, ‘Man, who is this kid?’ And then they’re saying he’s a freshman, and I’m like, ‘There’s no way he’s a freshman,’ just watching him play. And then having the opportunity to finally meet him, it’s ‘OK, I get it now.’”

Robertson added the sixth interception of his career in the Bulldogs’ season opener against South Alabama.

But he knows LSU is a different challenge — one he’s looking forward to as an opportunity to “test where I really am and what I need to work on.”

That’s “Meek.”

“There’s no stage that’s too big for him,” says Burris, who played 10 NFL seasons with the Buffalo Bills, Indianapolis Colts and Cincinnati Bengals. “The bigger the stage, the more he’s in tune, the more he’s focused. That’s what the great athletes have. When that stage is big and the lights are shining brighter, you want those players to be the brightest at that point in time. And he’s that. When those moments gets big, he never shies away from it, because he wants to make the play. He wants to be the guy that makes the difference in a game. He’s highly competitive.”

LSU is the only FBS program yet to have committed a turnover this season.

But coach Ed Orgeron knows the feisty cornerback the Tigers once recruited is as big a threat to his team’s ball security as anyone.

“This guy is like a little Honey Badger,” Orgeron says. “He leads the team in interceptions. He’s hard to deal with. He’s going to play nickel. He’s going to get after the ball. We have to know where he’s at at all times in the game.”

Robertson, like many shorter cornerbacks to grow up in Louisiana, has heard the comparison to former St. Augustine and LSU star Tyrann Mathieu, now with the Houston Texans.

Burris also compares Robertson to the Tampa Bay Buccaneers’ Brent Grimes, Miami Dolphins’ Bobby McCain and current free agent Brice McCain — a trio of cornerbacks 5-foot-10 or shorter with a combined 25 years of NFL experience.

So don’t expect Robertson to look out of place — even on the same field as a program that claims the moniker “D-B-U” for its success recruiting and developing defensive backs.

“Amik can have the best day of any — including (LSU sophomore) Greedy (Williams),” says Clark, who played 13 NFL seasons with the New York Giants, Washington Redskins and Pittsburgh Steelers. “This isn’t to say that he is Greedy good, or will be drafted as high as he will. But he has what it takes to make game-changing plays on Saturday.”

Says Robertson: “I’m right there, probably on the same level as them. But I can’t say that now. I’d rather just show ‘em. I’d rather go out there and let my game speak for itself.”