Fond du Lac’s Robert Windsor signs with Penn State
Robert Windsor made his intentions known a week and a half ago. Back on Jan. 25, the Fond du Lac senior verbally committed to Penn State to play football for the Nittany Lions.
On Wednesday morning, Windsor made it official.
Windsor signed his national letter of intent to play football on scholarship for the Penn State Nittany Lions, one of the most renowned college programs in the country. When pen finally hit paper on Wednesday, Windsor described it as a relief. “It’s a relief. A lot of weight off my shoulders,” Windsor said. “It’s good to have the recruiting process over.”
The 6-foot-5, 260-pound Windsor heads to State College, Penn. to play defensive line for the Nittany Lions after a senior season in which he recorded 38 tackles and five sacks and was named the Action Reporter Media 2014 All-Area Football Defensive Player of the Year. Windsor was also an Associated Press first team all-state selection. Coming into his senior season, Windsor didn’t have a ton of Division I college interest, but that soon changed. He soon started receiving offers from across the country, including a late offer from Wisconsin.
However, Penn State won Windsor over in the end. “How much they really wanted me and how much they cared about me,” Windsor said about why he chose PSU. “They’re really short at defensive tackle so I felt I was the last piece to the puzzle, the last piece to something great. It feels really good.”
When Wisconsin, led by new coach Paul Chryst, came knocking, Windsor did have the urge to head to Madison, but stuck with his gut and Penn State — knowing he’d have second guesses no matter what he decided. “There definitely was (the urge),” he said. “I’m going to have second thoughts no matter where I go.” In committing to Penn State, Windsor knows he’ll get to play in front of some of the largest crowds in the world. Beaver Stadium holds approximately 107,000 people — second in the country only to Michigan Stadium. “It’s going to be awesome,” he said. “I’m definitely looking forward to seeing Beaver Stadium full.” With the recruiting process finally over, Windsor realizes he’s fortunate to be in the position he’s in and is looking forward to proving himself at the next level. “I’m very blessed to have this opportunity,” Windsor said. “I’m to make the most of it and work my tail off.”
Fond du Lac’s Robert Windsor commits to Penn State
As the 2014 prep football season progressed, the major college interest in Fond du Lac defensive lineman Robert Windsor kept getting stronger and stronger. Two months after the conclusion of his senior season, Windsor has finally made a decision about where he’ll play college football.
The 6-foot-5, 260-pound Windsor is heading to State College, Penn. for play for Penn State, a program that’s one of the most recognizable and prestigious in all of college football. Windsor announced his decision Sunday on Twitter, tweeting “Just committed to Penn State #WeAre #107kstrong #psunrivaled.”
Windsor’s decision to become a Nittany Lion is the culmination of a senior season in which he recorded 38 tackles and five sacks and was an integral part of a Fond du Lac defense that allowed only 15.3 points per game.
“If you look at Penn State, they’ve got to be considered one of the top 10 programs as far as legacy and tradition goes in the United States,” Fond du Lac coach Mike Gnewuch said.
“So to be able to be recruited heavily by their staff and offered a full scholarship just tells you what kind of player and what kind of potential Robert has. “He has a dream of playing in the (National Football) League one day and I think considering his commitment to Penn State and all the things that are being offered to him, that dream could very realistically become true.”
Windsor noted that part of his decision came because of the fact that Penn State will be short on defensive tackles in the coming years, meaning he’ll get a great opportunity to prove himself. “They’re very short at defensive tackle,” Windsor said. “They have three defensive tackles that are going to be seniors this next year and then it’s just me. They’re all going to be graduating and I’m going to be the guy on the line. I feel like I was the last piece of the puzzle. They had great recruits in all the other areas, but were short at defensive tackle.” Led by first-year coach James Franklin, Penn State finished 7-6 in 2014 with a 2-6 mark in the Big Ten. Windsor also received scholarship offers from Wisconsin, Vanderbilt and Illinois, among others.
Gnewuch also pointed out that Windsor’s commitment to Penn State is a signficant moment for the Fond du Lac football program. “I think it’s huge for our program,” Gnewuch said. “It puts us on the map a little bit more and it’s a great program thing. I told Robert that. … After he committed to Penn State, I said ‘You know what, you not only just helped yourself and made an excellent decision, but you just helped out our entire program.’ Building pride is something we’ve been trying to do and it doesn’t just come from the staff or the community. Players can contribute to that because it’s essentially their program. I couldn’t be prouder of Robert.”
Windsor said he’ll move to State College in July before the start of fall camp, though the decision of whether or not he’ll redshirt his freshman year hasn’t been made yet.
Robert Windsor earns 1st Team AP All-State honor
Peter Andrew earns 2nd Team AP All-State honor
Justin Maratik earns Honorable Mention AP All-State honor
The Associated Press released its all-state football teams late Thursday night, and Fond du Lac was well represented.
Fond du Lac senior Robert Windsor earned first-team on the defensive line, senior offensive lineman Peter Andrew made second-team while junior tailback Justin Maratik earned honorable mention.
Windsor was the anchor to the Cardinals’ defense that allowed only 15.3 points per game. He had five sacks and 38 tackles on the year. “Robert was as dynamic as any defensive linemen in the state of Wisconsin,” Fondy head coach Mike Gnewuch said. “His performances garnered the interest of big-time colleges across America. He’s got that very awesome combination of both size and speed. He’s got tenacity. He plays every single down really hard. I was really fortunate to have had the opportunity to coach him.”
Andrew played a big role on the offensive line that allowed Maratik rush for over 1,900 yards and 21 touchdowns. “Pete is a man’s man, he’s a kid that every football coach loves,” Gnewuch said. “He does everything right. He never takes a play off. He is a kid you just don’t replace. You cherish every opportunity you have to coach him.
“(Justin) just holds on to the football. He’s a downhill runner that’s going to get hit every single play in our offense. He gets the large, large majority of our carries and to be able to go through the season rushing for more than 1,900 yards and not turn the ball over is an unbelievable
Dominant Robert Windsor named defensive player of the year
2014 Valley Football Association Southern Division All-Conference
Robert Windsor 12 Defensive Lineman 6’ 5” 265
Defensive “Lineman of the Year” Robert Windsor
Defensive “Co-Players of the Year” Robert Windsor
Mike Gnewuch said it best. When asked to describe what senior Robert Windsor meant to the Fond du Lac football team’s defense, the Cardinals’ head coach pointed out that, of course, it wouldn’t be the same without him. That’s a given. But maybe even more telling to just how dominant Windsor was as a defensive lineman and all-around football player this past season was the fact that Gnewuch talked about the opportunity he had as a coach to work with an athlete of his stature. Windsor isn’t a run-of-the-mill player who just happened to have a great season. He’s a physical freak that has motivation, work ethic and a will to win. He’s the complete package.
His message: when a player like Windsor comes around, enjoy it while you can and just let him do his thing. “He’s such a dynamic player and you don’t get the opportunity to coach kids with the physical capabilities of Robert very often in your career,” Gnewuch said. “When they come by, you’ve just got to kind of unleash them and let them go play. That’s what we did with Robert.”
Windsor is the Action Reporter Media 2014 All-Area Football Defensive Player of the Year after a senior season in which he posted 38 tackles and five sacks and was an integral part of a defense that allowed just 15.3 points per game. In addition to being named the 2014 Valley Football Association South Defensive Co-Player of the Year and Defensive Lineman of the Year, Windsor was also a Wisconsin Football Coaches Association first team all-state selection. Standing 6-foot-5 and weighing 260 pounds, Windsor has the physical size needed to become a dominant force along the line of scrimmage. Along with athleticism rarely seen at the high school level for someone that big, Windsor has the drive to get better — which he’s certainly done. “I’m always striving to get better and I have motivation,” Windsor said. “This summer, coming in early, working hard all the time. Always trying to get better. That’s another thing — going 100 percent every play is another big thing.”
After Windsor earned All-VFA South second team defensive honors last year as a junior, Gnewuch had high expectations for him coming into his senior season. Speaking with him throughout the offseason and learning what some of his goals were as a player, which included continuing his career at the college level, Gnewuch and the rest of the coaching staff worked on making sure Windsor’s relentless effort mindset was in place by the time the season started. “We had huge expectations for Robert,” Gnewuch said. “We knew the potential that he had. We saw the streaks that he had last year and our whole goal through the offseason going into this season was to make sure he played every down with 100 percent effort. Through conversations with him and understanding what his goals are for the next level, he really understood that he had to play every single down with 100 percent effort. “When it came to that, it was really easy to coach Robert because we know his physical skills and what he was able to do on the field and if we could convince him that doing that every single play was not only going to make him an unstoppable player, but also give him a chance to play at the second level, we’d be in pretty good shape.”
As a defensive lineman, Windsor knew he couldn’t take any plays off. Any defense’s success starts with controlling the line of scrimmage. He made sure he did his part each and every play. “It’s one of those positions where you can’t take plays off,” he said. “It’s the line of scrimmage and you have to dominate the line of scrimmage. If you’re getting blown back, then they’re going to be able to run.”
Amazingly, Windsor’s spectacular senior season almost never happened. Suffering a fracture in his foot prior to the season, there was the distinct possibility he’d miss out on his final year of football. Not surprisingly, he played through the pain and put together a season to remember. “At times we weren’t sure we were going to have him at all for the football season,” Gnewuch said. “He got healthy and he played with pain through the whole year, but he’s a football player. He’s a tough kid so he sucked it up and was an integral part for our defense.”
As the year went along and Windsor got healthier, he began to garner a lot of attention from opposing offenses. Whether it was double teams, running the play in a different direction or other strategies to neutralize him, the opposition tried its best to keep Windsor at bay. Like he did with his injury, Windsor played through it. “I just keep doing what I do,” he said. “Be relentless and that frees up my teammates. I’m taking the attention away from my teammates, so they can make the plays.” Added Gnewuch: “I think he kind of thrived on (the added attention). He knew that everybody was going to put their best efforts into stopping him, double-teaming him. But he’s so explosive off the ball and he plays with his hands so well that double teams were extremely hard to come by when it came to trying to double team Robert.”
Division I college programs also began to take notice of Windsor’s abilities on the football field. As of mid-November, he’d gotten scholarship offers from Purdue, Illinois, Eastern Michigan, New Mexico and North Dakota State. One of his goals prior to the season was to put himself in position to continue his football career beyond high school. The product was not only an extraordinary senior year, but also an opportunity to do just that — play in college.
While he acknowledged his game needs serious improvement before its ready for the Big Ten or any other high-level college competition, he’s excited about the chance he’s being given — one offered to only the best of the best.
“It feels good to be wanted and it’s been my dream to play football at the next level.”