Living up to the Billings: How the three-star Georgia safety waited his turn and is now reaping the rewards
MILTON, Ga. — Playing on a high school football program littered with Division I athletes can be intimidating for some underclassmen. This was not the case for Robert Billings.
He had watched numerous teammates receive collegiate offers before him leading into his junior campaign. But for Billings, it was not a matter of if, but a matter of when.
“I knew my time would come,” Billings said. “I wanted to enjoy the time with my guys and celebrate them when they got offers. I just stayed patient and kept working.”
Billings’ patience paid off.
The 6-foot-2, 190-pound safety for Milton High School is now up to 13 offers after the conclusion of a big junior season. 247Sports ranks him as a three-star and a top-40 player in the state.
Billings finished the year as one of the most important pieces on one of the top teams in Georgia. He racked up 66 tackles, five interceptions and 11 pass breakups, helping guide his team to the state championship game.
He was earning a lot of attention throughout the year, but his recruiting has really picked up as of late, earning seven offers in the month of January. Three of those (Florida State, East Carolina and Louisville) came on Jan. 19.
“It was crazy,” Billings said. “I’d be in class and my coach would call me out and be like, ‘Somebody wants to talk to you.’ And then not too long after, they’d be like, ‘Hey, we need you out here again.’ I think I talked to like seven different coaches that day.”
Speaking with a variety of coaches and building relationships has been his biggest takeaway from the recruiting process. For Billings, he is considering his future beyond sports as well.
“They tell me life advice, it’s not all just about football,” Billings said. “One day we’re all gonna have to retire and hang up the cleats, so what’s gonna be next?”
Whatever school Billings thinks can make the biggest impact will be receiving a player that can make an immediate impression on the football field.
He is a ballhawk in the backfield with sideline-to-sideline range, putting him on the radar of any quarterback.
This is also a pretty good description of one of his idols, the late Sean Taylor. Despite being born in 2005, Billings is a student of the game and is well aware of the type of presence Taylor had on a defense.
“I had to know his name,” Billings said. “I would look up highlights and he would always be in them.”
He also shares the mentality that Taylor had for always wanting to improve.
Billings is prioritizing getting better as a player before he gets to the collegiate level, as well as being a better person.
“Just building relationships with people,” Billings said. “Life is really short and I’ve been through a lot these couple of years.”
Billings will have plenty of time to weigh out his options and determine the best university for him, on and off the field.
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