Penn State Sports Magazine
Issue link: https://comanpub.uberflip.com/i/1503568
A U G U S T 2 0 2 3 5 9 / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / D E F E N S I V E L I N E M E N / / / / / / / ersburg, Md. At one point, he was con- sidered by some to be the most important recruiting target for Penn State in the en- tire class. However, Robinson was never one to really open up about his recruitment. There were always more questions than answers, especially when the COVID-19 pandemic forced the NCAA to suspend on-campus visits. When Robinson committed to Mary- land in March 2020, Penn State fans were deeply disappointed. It's not often that the Terrapins beat out James Franklin and the Nittany Lion coaching staff for a top player, but they pulled off the coup with Robinson. Reflecting on his decision, Robinson, now a 6-foot-3, 250-pound junior, ad- mitted that Penn State was near the top of his list, but said its plans for him didn't align with his vision of how he wanted his college career to proceed. "They were actually in my top three," he explained. "But I felt like my best role was being a pass rusher, being on the edge. Penn State wanted me at linebacker, and I didn't feel like that was my main position. I felt like I was an edge rusher. That's why I went to Maryland, but then I was out of position there, too." Robinson averaged about 18 snaps a game for the Terps during his freshman season, including a career-high 31 against the Nittany Lions in a 31-14 loss at home. He appreciated the opportunity he was given in College Park, but by the start of spring practice the following year, he had come to believe that he would be better off in a different environment. When Robinson entered the transfer portal, Penn State immediately contacted him. Franklin and the defensive staff had come around on Robinson's potential as a defensive end, realizing that the young player's intuition had been right. With the Nittany Lions now open to deploying him at the position he had wanted to play all along, Robinson gave them serious consideration. It didn't hurt that another transfer edge rusher, Arnold Ebiketie, had transformed himself from a solid contributor at Temple into a sec- ond-team All-American and an eventual second-round draft pick of the Atlanta Falcons after just one season at PSU. "That was a big thing," Robinson said. "Seeing [Ebiketie's] elevation from his previous school to when he got to Penn State, it was just shocking. When I came here on my visit, they actually showed me his film from the time he was at Temple to how he grew at Penn State. You could see there was a big difference." A host of other programs also reached out to Robinson while he was in the por- tal. He said USC was the only other school that he seriously considered, but once he wrapped up his trip to State College, he knew where he wanted to be. Penn State ended up being the only school he visited. "My main thing was going somewhere where I was needed," Robinson said. "I wanted to go out there and actually have an impact on the defense." He also wanted to be at a school where everyone shared his determination to succeed at the game's highest level. "Being around guys who you know have the same exact mindset as me — that was another big thing," Robinson said. "I know where I want to go after college." Making The Grade Where he's going after college is almost assuredly to the NFL. His performance last year sparked the league's interest, and the excitement is only likely to intensify this fall. Despite not arriving on campus until last summer, Robinson hit the ground running in August, earning praise from both his coaches and teammates during preseason camp. That excitement trans- "I have a few individual goals, sure, but my main goal is just winning games and making sure we're the best D-line group we can be. … If we focus on that, everything else will take care of itself." R O B I N S O N Robinson didn't make any starts in his first season at Penn State, but his overall defensive grade from Pro Football Focus (90.6) was the best among edge rushers in the Big Ten last year. PHOTO BY DANIEL ALTHOUSE