East St. Louis QB Robert Battle commits to Lindenwood

Battle led Flyers to Illinois Class 6A title as a junior

One of the top rising senior quarterbacks in the state of Illinois is staying close to home for college.

East St. Louis standout Robert "Pops" Battle announced on his Twitter account Friday night that he has committed to Lindenwood University, which is transitioning to Division I and competes in the Ohio Valley Conference.

A 6-foot, 170-pound dual-threat quarterback who will finish his high school career as a four-year starter, Battle turned in an outstanding junior campaign last fall when he led East St. Louis to a 12-2 record and the Illinois Class 6A championship. 

He completed 60.4 percent of his passes for 2,123 yards, with 23 touchdowns and five interceptions, and ran for 733 yards and 11 more scores. 

As a sophomore, Battle threw for 2,847 yards with 30 touchdowns and seven interceptions and ran for 390 yards and eight touchdowns as the Flyers went 11-3 and finished as the runner-up in Class 6A. 

Battle completed 65.4 percent of his passes for 1,460 yards and 13 touchdowns (against four interceptions) as a freshman. He added 367 yards and five touchdowns on the ground as East St. Louis went 5-1 in an abbreviated six-game spring season due to COVID concerns that cancelled the campaign in the fall of 2020.