Tayvion Robinson filling Wan’Dale Robinson's shoes in spring practice

Wan’Dale Robinson had one of the greatest wide receiver seasons in the history of UK Football in 2021. As he heads for the 2022 NFL Draft, Robinson put up an act that will be tough to follow. With spring practice in full swing, wide receivers coach Scott Woodward has a suitable group to find out who can fill those shoes. It seems like a Robinson-for-Robinson swap, though, has become the most natural progression.

Senior Tayvion Robinson transferred to UK in mid-December after three seasons at Virginia Tech. With a few months in Lexington under his belt, Robinson said on Saturday he’s starting to get comfortable here and within the new offense. “First thing getting here was adjusting and learning the offense ultimately. Getting reps with Will (Levis) and getting the chemistry down so I can get better every day.”

There’s been a lot of chatter about Robinson and his role heading into the Spring Game next weekend. A lot of that is his growing connection with senior quarterback Will Levis during their short time together.

“It’s been fun. He’s a very good thrower of the ball,” Robinson added. “He’s strong and he’s smart. He can probably make every throw on the field. Honestly with us it’s just getting chemistry down day by day during the spring and making sure we execute at a high level.”

That respect has gone both ways as Levis thinks Robinson’s experience at VT has helped him pick up the new offense.

“We really like Tayvion on the choice routes in the slot,” Levis said following Saturday’s practice. “He has a really good feel for that and he has a lot of experience with that. He ran it very similarly to how we do when he was at Virginia Tech.”

Replacing the single-season yards record holder, a member of the First Team All-SEC and the Citrus Bowl MVP is quite the tall task though. Even so, Robinson has been compared to Wan’Dale early on by his new QB.

“They’re very similar in just their feel in those choice routes, seeing defense, and knowing when the right opportunities are to sit it down, break in, break out,” Levis added. “Just the more we do it and more we talk about it the better we’ll be when the season comes just with us being on the same page.”

One key advantage he has is in the size department. While comparable in height, Tayvion has an advantage in the length department over Wan’Dale.

“Tayvion’s definitely a little longer. With Wan’Dale sometimes I felt like maybe I had to place some balls just because his frame,” Levis said. “Now there’s a little more room for error. If I miss a little more outside, just fact of the matter, Tayvion has a little more of a reach so it helps a little bit.”

There will be a lot of options in a wide receiver room that’s full of fresh faces. Robinson is one of the oldest in the room and, paired with this early connection with Levis, he’s an obvious pick to be one of the Wildcats’ most productive options across the field.

That connection and production will hopefully be on full display during the Spring Game on April 9th.