Penn State Sports Magazine
Issue link: https://comanpub.uberflip.com/i/730644
caught 48 passes for 547 yards and two touchdowns, Robinson broke out in 2015. Playing in every game, he finished with 1,400 yards and led the league with 14 TDs. "A-Rob has been unbelievable," said quarterback Blake Bortles, who also was taken in the 2014 draft, going to the Jaguars with the third overall pick. "He's a guy that I think possesses really a unique skill set with his size and speed and his ability to jump. ... He's really spe- cial in his ability to go up and get the ball." Those were the skills that made him an All-America college player, a fact illus- trated by the tattoo on the right side of his torso depicting his legendary catch against Michigan in 2013, in which he leaped to pull down the ball near the goal line with 27 seconds to go, setting up overtime and an eventual Nittany Lion victory. "The worst thing you can do is throw it out of bounds or over his head, because he doesn't get a chance to get his hands on it," Bortles added. His knack for out-leaping oppo- nents to the ball was one of the first athletic traits that stood out about Robinson when former Penn State assistant coach Ron Vanderlinden recruited him. A late-rising prospect who received only one other Big Ten scholarship offer, Robinson was on a basketball court playing for St. Mary's Prep in Or- chard Lake, Mich., when his athleticism became abundantly clear. The Lions' coaching staff had seen him on a football field, as he was high school teammates with quarterback Rob Bolden, but the hardwood was where Robinson was able to show what made him special. Now as he attempts to hone in and re- fine his skills – everybody knows he can jump – his route-running is the top pri- ority. Jacksonville wide receivers coach Jerry Sullivan approached Robinson late last season with a plan for taking his game to another level. The jump balls are great and they look good on highlight reels, Sullivan told him, but if he wanted to continue his trajectory, Robinson needed to add another dimension. So he began working on his routes. "One thing I especially did this off-sea- son throughout the little bit of time that I was out there for OTAs and throughout camp was just improve things that I wanted to improve on," Robinson said in an interview with Jaguars.com in August. "Not being afraid on the first day of prac- tice or when practice comes to make those mistakes or to have some setback with some things. As far as me, I wanted to get better. Some of the things I worked on [were] route-running, over-the- shoulder catches and things like that. I knew some things would take some time. It wasn't always going to be pretty in the route-running, but as I continue to focus on that, I'll become better." He put it on display during the opening weekend against Green Bay, but the game was not an unqualified success. Although he finished with six catches for 72 yards, he was targeted on nine other passes and, maybe more frustratingly, was treated to the kind of defensive attention that No. 1 wide receivers often get. With 52 seconds remaining in the game and the Jaguars on the Green Bay 23-yard line, Bortles launched a deep pass into the end zone. This time Robinson wasn't able to come down with it, as Packers corner- back Quinten Rollins swatted it to the ground. Three plays later, Jacksonville turned the ball over on downs and lost, 27-23. "There's a lot of people hurt in this locker room," Robinson said afterward. "We put a lot of effort in going into this week and it's not the last week, but this is one that everybody put a lot of effort into." ■ ROUTE TO SUCCESS Robinson, who had a league-best 14 touchdowns last season, has been fo- cused on his route- running. Photo courtesy of the Jack- sonville Jaguars