Backyard Gator, Big Stage: Jaden Robinson’s Rise Continues at LSU
Florida’s defense has been on a mission this season to play championship-caliber football. Despite a 1-1 record, much improved on paper while the jury is still out on the field.
But now the Gators hit the road to open SEC play against No. 3 LSU (2-0) in their toughest task yet.
Among all the talented pieces on this Florida defense, junior linebacker Jaden Robinson is making a name for himself.
Robinson, a Lake City native, grew up less than an hour away from Ben Hill Griffin Stadium. Robinson started playing football at six years old when his auntie signed him up to play Little League football.
Instantly, Robinson fell in love with the game.
“Just playing around, having fun, not worried about anything,” Robinson told Gators Sports Network from Learfield. “Playing a game that I love.”
Another aspect Robinson loved about football was strapping on his shoulder pads, buckling up the chin strap and going out on the field to go hit some people. His most memorable hit came not too long after starting football for the first time.
“I was in second grade,” Robinson said. “I was playing in a little Pop Warner game up here at Gainesville, actually, and I had a crack back.”
When Robinson arrived at Columbia High School in 2019, the freshman immediately cemented his spot on the varsity team. In four years, Robinson played in 34 games and recorded 246 total tackles – 144 of them coming in his senior year, with 60 solo tackles that season and nine career sacks.
His efforts on the field made him a four-star recruit with multiple Power 4 suitors. In July 2022, Robinson verbally committed to the University of South Carolina a day after Florida had offered him a scholarship.
But even with the commitment label on, Florida kept pursuing him, and on Aug. 10, 2022, Robinson decommitted from South Carolina and committed to Florida. Four months after committing, Robinson signed his letter of intent and enrolled at UF in January of 2023.
“Another guy who (was) not very highly regarded coming in has turned out to be a heck of a football player for us,” Gators coach Billy Napier said. “He loves the Gators. He’s from the backyard.”
Appearing in three games during his first year in Gainesville, Robinson’s sophomore campaign put him on people’s radars. Playing in all 13 games and starting in the final four games after fellow linebacker Grayson Howard went down for the year, Robinson recorded 52 total tackles, 28 solo tackles, 3.5 sacks and eight quarterback pressures.
Robinson already has 13 total tackles, 8 solo, and a forced fumble this season.
“J-Rob is steady, and I appreciate J-Rob. J-Rob is a smart football player; he’s very instinctive, can key and diagnose,” Napier said. “He’s a good communicator, and he has an instinct for the ball and has a way of finding it. He’s a good teammate, I think his teammates respect him.”
Ironically, the LSU game last November marked Robinson’s first career start. He played well in that game, racking up seven total tackles in the 27-16 win. Two years ago, Robinson did not get to play in Death Valley, but still remembers the environment and why it is known as one of the toughest places to play in college football.
Tiger Stadium is one of the loudest places to play for any opponent, which can make on-field communication difficult.
“Playing at LSU is going to be a very loud, hostile environment, so communication is going to be key,” Robinson said. “So it’s a big challenge playing there. Like I said, the fans are gonna be in it. We’re going to have to communicate very well.”
Florida’s defense lacked any momentum plays last week in its loss to USF, recording just one sack. Last season against LSU, the Gators made life miserable for the Tigers, forcing seven sacks against Saturday’s starting quarterback Garrett Nussmeier, 11 tackles for loss, three forced fumbles, recovering one and holding LSU to 16 points.
While Florida is unlikely to fully replicate that performance, Robinson & Co. can still look back and use it as a reference on how to approach Saturday’s contest.
“It’s really 50-50,” he said. “You can bring your stuff from last year, and also get used to new wiggles, and what they’re coming out with.”
Those kinds of plays can keep the momentum on Florida’s side in a hostile environment and get the defense off the field.
“Man, those momentum plays can be very big for us to make those stops and get off the field on third down,” Robinson said. “Give DJ Lagway and the offense a chance to go put some points up. I’d say that’d be a big part of the game.”
Many players competing in an environment like Death Valley for the first time can be a bit overwhelming. Robinson says he was made for this kind of game and is looking forward to Saturday night.
“I always wanted to play in big games like that since I was a little kid,” Robinson said. “I love playing in that environment.”
Category: College Football, Feature Sports News, Gators Football, SEC
