National Signing Day was a quiet one for Michigan State, but not one without a bit of a twist. Fort Wayne, Indiana defensive end Auston Robertson, a four-star player, did not send in his National Letter of Intent and now it remains unclear if that letter will ever be faxed over to the Spartans football offices. Robertson is facing a misdemeanor battery charge in Indiana, leaving his status hanging in midair.
Robertson announced on his Twitter account on Wednesday Michigan State remained his top choice but he was reviewing all of his options moving forward.
Michigan state is still my number one but I'm am re-opening my options.
— BigTicketRob6/21 (@auston_robertsn) February 3, 2016
The Journal Gazette reports Robertson is accused of inappropriately touching a female classmate at Wayne High School. The incident occurred last October and he was arrested January 13. He was released five days later on a $750 bond and has a status hearing scheduled for next Wednesday.
Michigan State head coach Mark Dantonio is not permitted to discussing players that have not signed with his program, but he did allude to the possibility of adding one more player to the Class of 2016, seemingly referencing Robertson when discussing one more committed player that has not signed. Michigan State signed all of the other commits they expected to have lined up.
Robertson chose Michigan State over offers from a number of schools including Michigan, Ohio State, Notre Dame and Nebraska. Dantonio has a track record of leaving the door open for players who have gotten into some legal trouble, and he certainly has not slammed that door shut in Robertson’s face yet.