From the Cleburne Times Review...full story at the link...
Former Yellow Jacket ready to break out for Tulsa
Entering his third season in the University of Tulsa football program, Cleburne’s Reggie Robinson II could be a major breakout player for the Golden Hurricane in 2017.
After redshirting the 2015 season, Robinson got his first taste of NCAA Division I action as a redshirt freshman in 2016. The former Yellow Jacket standout appeared in all 13 games for Tulsa, including six starts.
Now, Robinson and his coaches feel he’s prime for a breakout season.
“It’s been a process, but now I feel it’s nothing that I can’t handle,” Robinson said. “It has slowed down for me for the most part. The game has slowed down drastically. A main point for me was understanding what to do, getting in the right spot and just playing. I like to think I’m a lot more confident than I was last year.”
In his rookie season last year, Robinson recorded 37 total tackles (30 solo) to go along with seven pass break-ups, second most on the team. He also recovered one fumble, forced one fumble and blocked a field goal.
“Reggie is progressing nicely,” Tulsa Cornerbacks Coach Aaron Fletcher said. “He’s a lot more familiar with the position and understanding the different nuances that go along with the position, regards to techniques and things of that sort. It’s a very detailed position, and he’s starting to pick up on it. He’s a lot more confident and comfortable this year as opposed to last year.”
In high school, Robinson was a wide receiver and safety. But after stepping foot on campus in Tulsa, they moved him to cornerback. His redshirt season in 2015 gave him time to focus on transitioning to his new position as well as learning what it takes to be a NCAA Division I student-athlete.
Brian Norwood, Tulsa’s associate head coach and co-defensive coordinator, said Robinson has improved by leaps and bounds during his first two full seasons with the Golden Hurricane.
“I think his game has really progressed,” Norwood said. “Coach Fletcher has really done a great job with him. At the end of the day, it comes down to relationships and being able to coach a kid and taking him further than sometimes where he thinks he can go, and challenging him.
“Reggie has improved immensely over this short period of time, and some of it is just the knowledge of the game — the mental [aspect], the focus, and the ability to move on from one play to the next play. As a corner, you have to have a short shelf life, you have to forget the last play and move on to the next. That part of his game has really improved.”
In Tulsa’s 55-10 win over Central Michigan in the Miami Beach Bowl, Robinson had three solo tackles and a pass break-up as he helped the Golden Hurricane finish the season with a 10-3 record. In his first career start, Robinson had four tackles and a fumble recovery against nationally ranked Houston on ESPN.
Tulsa went 6-2 in the American Athletic Conference last season, with the only two losses against Houston (38-31) and Navy (42-40). In a vastly improving conference, Tulsa is one of several teams — along with South Florida, Memphis and Navy — considered threats to win the American Athletic Conference.
And Norwood said he believes Robinson will play a crucial role for the Golden Hurricane’s chances
“[Reggie’s role] is vitally important,” Norwood said. “He brings a lot of God-given talents. He has great length, he’s a physical player and has tremendous speed. Some of the things he’s able to do from a physical standpoint are really pluses against some of the bigger receivers we’ll face. He handles things from a physical standpoint very well, and then having the speed to be able to run, even with some of the smaller wide-outs, so he’s able to do some things.
“With Reggie playing at his top level, he really gives us a force, and gives us the opportunity in some scenarios to take away a side of the field. He’s a tremendous asset. He’s a young player, so he’s still developing and so we challenge him with things that he needs to continue to improve on as he goes.”
Robinson said expectations for himself this season are to simply make plays that help his team succeed.
“Basically, just to play the best I can, come up with a bunch of tackles and interceptions while playing within our defensive system,” the 6-foot-1 defender said.
Fletcher said he wants to see Robinson, one of the fastest players on the team, make the most of the chances he’s given and play to his confidence level.
“He made some plays last year, but this year I want to see him finish,” Fletcher said. “There’s an air of confidence that you can see the more familiar and comfortable you are with the position. I want to see him play to his personality. He’s a very confident kid, given all the athletic ability he possesses, so now I want to see that catch up with the confidence and just take off.”
During the offseason, Robinson said he continued to focus on fine-tuning the basics of the cornerback position
“The main thing was working on my flexibility and being able to stay healthy,” Robinson said. “Honestly, it was just stretching after workouts, getting on the foam roller and taking care of my body. During the summer, we mostly did individual drills. So I focused on our base and back peddling and things like that.”
With still three seasons of NCAA eligibility, counting this year, Robinson has the physical tools, talent and skillset to potentially be among the top NFL Draft-eligible players in a couple years.
“[His ceiling] is whatever he wants it to be,” Fletcher said. “That’s what I tell him, ‘The only person that can stop you is you.’ He has potential to be a very special player if he continues to apply himself and continues to fall in love with the position. He has the intangibles. Everything those guys [scouts] look for, he’s got. He just has to put those things together. I tell him, ‘The great ones go do these things,’ so it’s just him seeing that and taking it to the second level.”
Robinson and Tulsa open the 2017 season at 6:30 p.m. Aug. 31 at Oklahoma State in a nationally televised game on Fox Sports 1. On Oct. 27, Tulsa visits SMU in Dallas; the closest game to Cleburne that the Golden Hurricane will play in 2017.
Former Yellow Jacket ready to break out for Tulsa
Entering his third season in the University of Tulsa football program, Cleburne’s Reggie Robinson II could be a major breakout player for the Golden Hurricane in 2017.
After redshirting the 2015 season, Robinson got his first taste of NCAA Division I action as a redshirt freshman in 2016. The former Yellow Jacket standout appeared in all 13 games for Tulsa, including six starts.
Now, Robinson and his coaches feel he’s prime for a breakout season.
“It’s been a process, but now I feel it’s nothing that I can’t handle,” Robinson said. “It has slowed down for me for the most part. The game has slowed down drastically. A main point for me was understanding what to do, getting in the right spot and just playing. I like to think I’m a lot more confident than I was last year.”
In his rookie season last year, Robinson recorded 37 total tackles (30 solo) to go along with seven pass break-ups, second most on the team. He also recovered one fumble, forced one fumble and blocked a field goal.
“Reggie is progressing nicely,” Tulsa Cornerbacks Coach Aaron Fletcher said. “He’s a lot more familiar with the position and understanding the different nuances that go along with the position, regards to techniques and things of that sort. It’s a very detailed position, and he’s starting to pick up on it. He’s a lot more confident and comfortable this year as opposed to last year.”
In high school, Robinson was a wide receiver and safety. But after stepping foot on campus in Tulsa, they moved him to cornerback. His redshirt season in 2015 gave him time to focus on transitioning to his new position as well as learning what it takes to be a NCAA Division I student-athlete.
Brian Norwood, Tulsa’s associate head coach and co-defensive coordinator, said Robinson has improved by leaps and bounds during his first two full seasons with the Golden Hurricane.
“I think his game has really progressed,” Norwood said. “Coach Fletcher has really done a great job with him. At the end of the day, it comes down to relationships and being able to coach a kid and taking him further than sometimes where he thinks he can go, and challenging him.
“Reggie has improved immensely over this short period of time, and some of it is just the knowledge of the game — the mental [aspect], the focus, and the ability to move on from one play to the next play. As a corner, you have to have a short shelf life, you have to forget the last play and move on to the next. That part of his game has really improved.”
In Tulsa’s 55-10 win over Central Michigan in the Miami Beach Bowl, Robinson had three solo tackles and a pass break-up as he helped the Golden Hurricane finish the season with a 10-3 record. In his first career start, Robinson had four tackles and a fumble recovery against nationally ranked Houston on ESPN.
Tulsa went 6-2 in the American Athletic Conference last season, with the only two losses against Houston (38-31) and Navy (42-40). In a vastly improving conference, Tulsa is one of several teams — along with South Florida, Memphis and Navy — considered threats to win the American Athletic Conference.
And Norwood said he believes Robinson will play a crucial role for the Golden Hurricane’s chances
“[Reggie’s role] is vitally important,” Norwood said. “He brings a lot of God-given talents. He has great length, he’s a physical player and has tremendous speed. Some of the things he’s able to do from a physical standpoint are really pluses against some of the bigger receivers we’ll face. He handles things from a physical standpoint very well, and then having the speed to be able to run, even with some of the smaller wide-outs, so he’s able to do some things.
“With Reggie playing at his top level, he really gives us a force, and gives us the opportunity in some scenarios to take away a side of the field. He’s a tremendous asset. He’s a young player, so he’s still developing and so we challenge him with things that he needs to continue to improve on as he goes.”
Robinson said expectations for himself this season are to simply make plays that help his team succeed.
“Basically, just to play the best I can, come up with a bunch of tackles and interceptions while playing within our defensive system,” the 6-foot-1 defender said.
Fletcher said he wants to see Robinson, one of the fastest players on the team, make the most of the chances he’s given and play to his confidence level.
“He made some plays last year, but this year I want to see him finish,” Fletcher said. “There’s an air of confidence that you can see the more familiar and comfortable you are with the position. I want to see him play to his personality. He’s a very confident kid, given all the athletic ability he possesses, so now I want to see that catch up with the confidence and just take off.”
During the offseason, Robinson said he continued to focus on fine-tuning the basics of the cornerback position
“The main thing was working on my flexibility and being able to stay healthy,” Robinson said. “Honestly, it was just stretching after workouts, getting on the foam roller and taking care of my body. During the summer, we mostly did individual drills. So I focused on our base and back peddling and things like that.”
With still three seasons of NCAA eligibility, counting this year, Robinson has the physical tools, talent and skillset to potentially be among the top NFL Draft-eligible players in a couple years.
“[His ceiling] is whatever he wants it to be,” Fletcher said. “That’s what I tell him, ‘The only person that can stop you is you.’ He has potential to be a very special player if he continues to apply himself and continues to fall in love with the position. He has the intangibles. Everything those guys [scouts] look for, he’s got. He just has to put those things together. I tell him, ‘The great ones go do these things,’ so it’s just him seeing that and taking it to the second level.”
Robinson and Tulsa open the 2017 season at 6:30 p.m. Aug. 31 at Oklahoma State in a nationally televised game on Fox Sports 1. On Oct. 27, Tulsa visits SMU in Dallas; the closest game to Cleburne that the Golden Hurricane will play in 2017.
