His love for competition brought him to the University of Alabama as part of the school’s 2017 top-ranked signing class for football, but it has been his performance through summer workouts and thus far in fall practice that has won over head coach Nick Saban and his coaching staff.
With Josh Jacobs missing a few practices (hamstring), freshman running back Brian Robinson has gotten more reps behind Bo Scarbrough and Damien Harris. Robinson, a graduate of Hillcrest High School in Tuscaloosa, ran against the first-team defense in spring ball and per Saban on Wednesday – “he’s a physical guy that is hard to tackle.”
“Brian has done a really good job,” Saban said. “Being here in the spring has really helped him a lot. One of the goals we had for him over the summer was to become a better receiver out the backfield and he has really improved.”
While he was a four-star recruit at Hillcrest, Robinson’s pass-catching abilities did not go unnoticed. Patriots’ head coach Sam Adams witnessed his star back record 14 catches 151 receiving yards during his sophomore year (2014) and 302 yards receiving yards with two touchdowns on 24 catches as a senior.
After seeing the success of Harris and Jacobs out the backfield last season, Saban truly feels as if Robinson has that dynamic to game as well.
“I think he has a better understanding of the offense,” Saban said. “He plays hard and he’s a big, physical guy. He plays really well with toughness and it’s hard to tackle him.”
In talking with a couple Tide players during the team’s fan day/open practice back on Aug. 5, they said Robinson runs with attitude and loves to seek out defensive backs for punishment.
As he continues to progress, Alabama fans may see a lot of Robinson in the coming season.
Stephen M. Smith is the managing editor and senior writer for Touchdown Alabama Magazine. You can “like” him on Facebook or “follow” him on Twitter, via @Smsmith_TDALMag.
