TUSCALOOSA, Ala. — Easy wasn’t in the plans.
If it was, Brian Robinson came to the wrong place. The four-star running back knew what he was getting into when he signed his National Letter of Intent for hometown Alabama this February.
He didn’t come to be a spectator by any means. However, upon joining a unit that already featured five other talented running backs, even Robinson referred to himself as a “sleeper.”
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“I love that title because being the underdog, that’s no problem with me,” Robinson said on National Signing Day in February. “I don’t mind being the underdog. Me being the sleeper in my class, I just got to prove a lot of people wrong.”
Robinson joined the Crimson Tide as an early enrollee in February and immediately took advantage of a banged up backfield. With Bo Scarbrough, Damien Harris and B.J. Emmons all withheld from action due to injury, he was one of three running backs who received a bulk of the reps during spring camp.
Soaking up as much experience as he could, the 6-foot-1, 218-pound freshman put together a solid spring, capping it off with 21 yards on seven carries during the A-Day Scrimmage.
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Four months later, Robinson seems to be improving by the day.
"Brian's done a really good job,” Alabama head coach Nick Saban said last week. “I think being here in the spring really helped him. One of the goals we had for him over the summer was to become a better receiver. He's definitely improved in that regard. I think he has a better understanding of the offense. He's a big, physical guy, plays hard. Shows really good toughness, hard to tackle. We're really pleased with his progress."
Alabama's loaded backfield got a little lighter over the summer as Emmons transferred from the program in July. Despite the departure, many still projected Robinson to take a redshirt his freshman season, labeling him the fifth of the Tide’s remaining backs.
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Although, if the Tuscaloosa native is expecting to sit out this season he certainly isn’t running like it. Alabama offensive lineman Ross Pierschbacher doesn’t always get the best view of Robinson during practice, as he is typically busy blocking in front of him. However, even he couldn’t help but notice the freshman as he bursts through the hole.
“We were doing team runs and he was just like running really hard,” Pierschbacher said. “As an offensive lineman, you love to see that. He doesn't shy away from contact and I've continued to see that. He runs angry, so it's nice.”
Robinson’s patient approach paid off again this month as running backs Josh Jacobs (hamstring), Najee Harris (hamstring) and Bo Scarbrough (illness) have all missed time. With Scarbrough and Jacobs missing from Alabama’s second scrimmage over the weekend, Robinson once again relished the opportunity for extra reps.
While no stats were provided from the scrimmage, sources close to the program reported the freshman appeared very polished, especially as a receiver out of the backfield.
“He’s made great progress,” Alabama linebacker Rashaan Evans said. “Brian, he’s one of those guys that just does his part. Whenever they call his name, he produces."
How often Robinson’s name will be called this season is still yet to be determined. While Jacobs remains sidelined by his injury, Scarbrough is reportedly set to return to the practice field Tuesday.
That makes Robinson one of four healthy options Alabama currently has at running back less than two weeks from the Tide’s season opener against Florida State on Sept. 2. Once thought to be a definite redshirt candidate, the freshman might be needed to help against a Seminoles defense that ranked No. 21 against the run last season.
At this point, it’d be foolish to count Robinson out.
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