Roderick Robinson already exciting teammates in first spring
ATHENS, Ga. — Georgia will be without senior running back Kendall Milton for the rest of the spring after it was reported that the Fresno, Calif. native suffered a hamstring injury during the second week of spring practice. While it’s unfortunate news for Milton, it opens the door to opportunity for another Golden State Bulldog back, Roderick Robinson.
Ranked the No. 10 running back in the country according to the On3 Industry Ranking, Robinson flipped his commitment from in-state UCLA to Georgia in October after visiting Athens for the Auburn game. Then, the San Diego product helped his Lincoln High School to its first state championship, taking down California powerhouse De La Salle as he scored four touchdowns in a 33-28 win. Robinson finished his senior year rushing for 2,378 yards and 37 touchdowns on 217 carries, also adding two receiving scores and 128 yards on 12 receptions on his way to winning California Player of the Year according to MaxPreps. An early enrollee at Georgia this spring, Robinson has already received praise from him pears.
“Roderick, I think he came in at like 240 pounds, something like that. Walking through the facility, I always tell him, ‘Hey, brother, you’re going to be a fullback if you keep eating,'” Milton joked before his injury. “He’s going to be a great player. Just seeing him, he has the ability — he can still run with his weight. He’s a strong player. He can make those cuts.”
“Same thing like me when I came in as a running back: You just have to be able to, you know, get comfortable learning the schemes and learning the pass pro and learning the different blitzes and just learning different stuff that comes with being a running back in such a high-talented offense,” he continued. “I’m excited, especially him being from California and everything. I’m excited to see him come here and leave his mark.”
Robinson has been seen at practice with the running backs and impressed during the media viewing sessions. As a bigger back coming in at 6-foot-0, 235 pounds according to the official Georgia spring roster, it wasn’t a surprise to see him make pulling the sled look easy, but the smoothness with which he did it caught the eye.
Robinson and the rest of the Bulldogs pass the halfway point of spring practice this week. Georgia has gone through six of its scheduled 15 sessions. A seventh and eighth will be conducted Tuesday and Thursday with the first of three scrimmages set for Saturday. While scrimmages tend to turn into an air-show a little bit more than a normal game might – especially with an ongoing quarterback competition – no Milton means more reps for Robinson and others left standing.
