For some freshmen, early playing time catches them a little off guard. That didn’t happen to Jammie Robinson.
Robinson, who committed to South Carolina on signing day 2019, stepped on campus and immediately earned the starting spot at nickel back as a freshman.
“Whenever I was a recruit, Coach T-Rob and the coaches would tell me during the recruitment I could be a potential starter here and come in and play early,” Robinson said. “Me coming in and working my tail off to gain the trust of the coaches and the players, it really helped me up my game.”
Also see: More scoop on the return to campus, football recruiting
And once he got in the lineup, he didn’t do anything to take himself out of it.
Robinson finished with 62 tackles and an interception as he earned SEC All-Freshmen team, finishing with a Pro Football Focus grade of 70.4 and a NFL passer rating of 85.6 when quarterbacks threw to his receiver.
“Just really learning and knowing that you’re not going to be the best player on the field,” he said. “You’re going to have guys better than you on the field. It’s about learning how to play and move around and match up with guys who have an edge on you.”
This year he’s going to be relied on heavily, it’s just a matter of where the Gamecocks want to play him.
Before spring practice was shelved Robinson was working at both safety and nickel and it’s more likely those are the two spots he could play as a sophomore.
Will Muschamp always talks about playing the best four in the secondary and best five in the team’s nickel package, which means Robinson could split time at safety in regular personnel and nickel when the team needs to put another defensive back on the field.
“I like being able to play both and be versatile,” he said. “That’s going to look better going to the NFL. That’s my goal.”
Also see: The latest with Malachi Bennett
And his goal as a sophomore is simple.
“I don’t want any touchdown passes caught on me,” he said. “No touchdown passes.”
Robinson is excited to get going in his second year and one of the biggest reasons for his development was playing so much as a freshman, and he’s hoping to build on that as a sophomore.
“Really growing up and maturing. When I came in as a freshman you know you’re a little childish. You’re an 18 year old,” Robinson said. “Getting used to everything with school and balancing school and football, getting that together and staying on top of that really made me become a better man.”
