OU Surprises SEC Commit
It came as a surprise to most people that Alabama Rivals250 cornerback commitment Jahquez Robinson took an official visit to Oklahoma recently. But the thing that many had forgotten was that the Jacksonville (Fla.) Sandalwood product was expected in Norman for the Sooners annual Red-White game in the spring. However, a late cancellation caused that to change.
It was a similar late change of plans that brought him for his makeup trip to Norman.
"I sat back and decided what schools I wanted to take official visit to, my game got canceled because of the hurricane so I decided to take my official visit to Oklahoma. I watched the Houston game too actually," Robinson recalled. "It was kind of a last minute thing, Alabama knows I’m locked in and stuff so they are letting me taking my time and making sure Bama is the right spot. It’s not a bad thing, they just want me to keep it up front with them."
Those in Norman who are responsible for being up front with Robinson are, well, the entire staff.
"Coach (Roy) Manning is my primary recruiter but coach (Alex) Grinch has been recruiting me as much as manning, coach (Chip) Viney, and coach (Lincoln) Riley has been on me as well," he explained.
"The whole weekend [the message from Oklahoma] was ‘you can play early, you can change a negative reputation for a defense’. You can help change the culture here, we’re trying to get it going with the guys we have here and being from Florida I can separate myself from the guys there with speed."
Obviously Robinson has no lack of confidence in his own ability and says that he coaching staff has similar beliefs in the upside of the nation's No. 193 overall prospect.
"(Riley) was telling me I have the opportunity to play early. He was saying I could change the program, guys like Baker (Mayfield) and Kyler (Murray) took a chance on the program and became Heisman trophy winners," he recalled. "Not that I’m a Heisman winner but that I have the ability to change the program and make a name for myself.
"He was telling me that Oklahoma has a certain number of draft picks and that we can get guys to the draft. He was saying Roy Williams and he came out a minute ago but coach was saying they need to just get more guys who can get there."
Robinson was offered by Oklahoma on January 29 and has stayed in touch with Manning, Grinch, and co. ever since. However, his official visit to Oklahoma not only gave him his first look at the state but also a one-time chance to get to know Oklahoma's players.
"(The visit) was way different than what I expected, like coming into the airport it was like ‘oh, this wasn’t what I expected’ but then I got to the campus and saw everything, it was beautiful," he said. "I saw the houses, saw coach Riley’s house. I saw the campus, the campus is beautiful, one of the best I’ve seen so far. The atmosphere, the coaches, it’s like a family vibe," he said.
And a big part of that family vibe was his host, Oklahoma's injured linebacker Caleb Kelly.
"Caleb Kelly was my host, I Talked to Bookie (Radley-Hiles) a bit, I talked to Pat Fields a little. I spoke to Ceedee Lamb and Jadon Haselwood. I went to Tre Norwood’s house and chilled for a bit," Robinson explained.
"Caleb was saying the last staff they kind of changed his position and after he got hurt it kind of hurt his draft stock. Then he got hurt again and was saying he is happy he is there with a good staff and they are going to blitz a lot more and put his film up there. He is happy about the coaching staff for him to be there that long and say he is happier than he was before – I’m happy to hear that."
Beyond what he could be told on his trip, Robinson was surprised at what he saw in Oklahoma's first-year defensive coordinator.
"Speed, they have a lot of speed, everything is fast, physical, everything is flying around, everything is effort. Coach Grinch is really bringing it. You can tell from last year how they are playing and this year it’s all about playing fast. If you don’t think too much you can play fast. You try and eliminate all of the thinking and just get to the ball," he said.
"Even walk throughs, they have run throughs. Everything is full speed, the corners are locked in, the defensive linemen are shifting. I like how he is attacking the effort and aggressiveness in the defense."
Robinson said he is sure he'll take an official visit to Tuscaloosa but is unsure of any further trips. For now though in Norman he is focused on watching Manning and his development of Oklahoma's cornerbacks.
"It’s really how I see coach Manning develop those cornerbacks. Coach Grinch is changing the safeties mindset, seeing how coach Manning does the corners," he said. "It’s hard for someone who didn’t play the position to understand what position you need to be in without playing it. Coach Manning is very knowledgeable about the game I just want to see how he develops guys.
"They are going to stay in contact and we’ll see what happens."