More than a few eyebrows were raised when Notre Dame reached out to little known San Antonio wide receiver Corey Robinson. Playing in lower division Texas high school football and a relative newcomer to the game, Robinson pledged to the Irish with fans knowing nothing more than he was the string-bean shaped son of former NBA star David Robinson.
With recruiting boards scratching their heads to even find information on Robinson, the profile of a 6-foot-4 (and likely growing) wide receiver with elite genetics gave Irish fans some degree of certainty, along with Brian Kelly and his staff’s ability to mine for diamonds. Then, Robinson’s national profile slowly began to emerge. At the Army All-American game, the San Antonio native showed himself to belong with some of the countries finest players.
Yet nothing was more important to Robinson’s future than the spring semester he spent in South Bend. Learning on the fly, our glimpses of the young wide receiver weren’t of a Bambi learning how to play, but rather of a velcro-handed athlete that looks like he’ll be able to help the Irish sooner than even the most optimistic Irish fan even thought.
Let’s take a closer look at Corey Robinson.
RECRUITING PEDIGREE
Robinson isn’t on any recruiting services’ Top 250 list, and Notre Dame was his first major offer and the school that put him on the national radar. While it wasn’t enough to boost him into the Top 250, Rivals added a fourth star to Robinson’s name after his performance at the US Army All-American game, where he garnered almost all positive reviews.
In addition to the Irish, Robinson had scholarship offers from Navy, where his father starred as a basketball player, Iowa, Kansas, North Carolina, and Wake Forest.
He committed to the Irish in March and enrolled early with fellow freshman James Onwualu, Steve Elmer, Malik Zaire, and Mike Heuerman in January.
EARLY PLAYING TIME OPPORTUNITIES
We’ve covered the deficiencies on the Irish depth chart at wide receiver, especially with the departures of Davonte Neal and Justin Ferguson. Robinson quickly found his way during spring drills, and got to a point where Brian Kelly acknowledged a fall plan for the talented freshman, similar to the way the Irish used Chris Brown last season.
“He’ll be a role player, kind of like Chris Brown was,” Kelly said last spring. “Chris helped us win a game against Oklahoma. That’s how you have to look at Corey Robinson. No, he’s not a finished product yet. He’s got to get stronger. But he does have a skill set. When you throw that ball near him, he comes down with it. So I think there’s a place for him in our offense, but he won’t be a featured guy.”
Working to piece things together, expect Robinson to make his way into some red zone packages, an area the Irish offense needs to improve in, and a segment of the offense that would definitely benefit from the height and length Robinson provides. For a guy that provided one of the highlights of spring, the future could be sooner than later for the under-the-radar prospect.
PROJECTING THE FUTURE
Taking an educated guess as to what the future of Robinson’s playing career looks like is tough business. After all, who would have predicted his father would’ve grown nearly a foot before his final year year of high school and then sprouted to be a seven-footer after being just another 5-foot-9 high school junior?
Robinson is already a shade over 6-foot-4, and while not everybody gets a late growth spurt (I’m still waiting for mine), he’s definitely going to grow into his body, adding bulk to his frame and possibly an inch or two before he’s done in South Bend. That’s going to give the Irish a weapon they haven’t had under Brian Kelly and a guy that could be highly versatile.
Robinson will need to learn the nuances of the game, and he’ll need to continue to improve his quickness and speed, making sure he’s not pigeon-holed as just a jump ball threat. He’s a much smoother athlete than most expected and the term “catch radius” all but sprung into Irish fans lexicons after listening to the coaches rave about Robinson, so there’s reason to be excited.
A pure outside receiving threat on a roster filled with guys that can play both inside and out, Robinson will have a chance to make a name for himself by the time his career is over in South Bend.