in some ways Nathan Robinson From the moment Tennessee offered him his first Power Five scholarship nearly a year ago, he knew where he wanted to play college football. His recent visits to the Vols have made it even clearer to him over the past few weeks.
The Greenbrier (Tennessee) High School class of 2023 defense attorney recently decided he didn’t need to see anymore. He announced Monday morning that he has chosen Tennessee and the Vols over Ole Miss, and Kentucky comes in from another visit with the Vols on Saturday, his third trip to Knoxville in just over a month.
The 6-foot-5, 268-pound Robinson informed the Tennessee coach Josh Heupel‘s staff of his decision Saturday while he was on campus for the Vols’ second spring practice, giving them their sixth commitment for the Class of 2023 and their third from an in-state prospect.
“Every time I go to Tennessee, I feel it more. And I don’t think there’s ever been a doubt that I wouldn’t go there since they made me the offer,” Robinson told GoVols247 before publicly announcing his choice.
“I mean, with Kentucky and Ole Miss, it almost evened out, and I was trying to even it out. But I knew all along that it was going to be hard not to go.”
Robinson officially focused on his three finalists on February 1. But he said his decision was “really due to Ole Miss and Tennessee here in the past few weeks.”
After visiting Tennessee on March 26 for the Vols’ first spring training session in Pads, he said he “kind of knew” he was ready to make his choice. He even canceled his previously scheduled trip to Ole Miss on April 2nd.
“The thing where they had the two junior days, that’s as balanced as it got with everyone,” Robinson said, referring to his visits to Kentucky and Ole Miss in January. “But deep down I knew I would visit Tennessee again, and there was still a preference for Tennessee. And since that day of juniors (March 5th in Tennessee) it’s kind of ramped up again.”
He said he ultimately chose Tennessee because of “just the relationships that I made there.” Heupel, defense coach Rodney Garner and Alex Goleshthe Vols’ offensive coordinator and tight ends coach, were all heavily involved in Robinson’s recruiting.
“At this point, I’m fairly familiar with all of the staff, and they all know me very well,” said Robinson, the 247Sports ranked No. 36 edge rusher in the 2023 class and a No. 12 junior from Tennessee State. “We just all get along really well, and that’s probably the best part.
“And I enjoy every second I have in Knoxville with everyone. … And the fact that it’s the home team. All my friends are Tennessee fans.”
He said he also likes that Heupel’s employees are “all in Tennessee.”
“No one uses it as a stepping stone to achieve something better,” said Robinson. “I mean, they’re all committed, that’s probably the best thing about them.”
It also doesn’t hurt that one of Robinson’s Greenbrier teammates, Class of 2022 Athlete Derek TaylorHe has signed the Vols as their preferred walk-on and plans to join them this summer.
“Me and Derek are very close,” Robinson said, “so if there was any doubt, that definitely brought me back to Tennessee more.”
Robinson has gained about 30 pounds since the end of his junior season at Greenbrier, where he has mostly played linebacker for the past two years. But the Vols, much like the other teams that have been chasing him, recruited him as a projected defender.
He’s optimistic he might be able to make an early impact on Tennessee’s defensive line.
“Based on Coach Garner’s rotations and the way he uses people and how many people he uses, it sounds like I could be there as a freshman,” said Robinson, who also has offers from Vanderbilt, Virginia Tech. West, has received Virginia and Indiana, among others, in addition to its three finalists.
(Photo: Twitter, @nathan_robinson_19)
“Coach Garner takes 10 guys — his 10 best — and everyone plays out of those 10. I think there’s already 12 to 16 D linemen out there, and I know for a fact that if that’s still the case, and there is still a lot in it when i get there eventually that i can be better than six of the guys in the room.
“I have no doubt that I can.”
Although Robinson grew up fond of Auburn, where his great-grandfather played and where his grandparents met, Robinson was highly rated during his recruiting in Tennessee. Deep down, he said, he’s reached out to the Vols since “probably visiting in late July” when he attended their “Rocky Top Palooza” event on July 31. It was his third trip to Knoxville in just over three months.
“That was probably the point where I really loved being there,” he added.
Robinson, who plans to graduate from Greenbrier in May 2023 before enrolling in Tennessee, said he now looks forward to being part of a recruiting class led by a five-star quarterback Nicholas Iamaleava from Long Beach, California, 247Sports’ No. 3 overall prospect in the 2023 class.
“I was (on) the second block, and a die-hard Tennessee fan texted me,” Robinson said, recalling when Iamaleava announced his involvement with the Vols on March 21. “He said in capital letters, ‘NICO TO TENNESSEE.’ And then the first thing I see on Twitter and Instagram is Nico’s commitment.
“I don’t know. I was excited. I was like, ‘Damn, I want to commit right now.'”