A recruiting class that was slow to get started now can’t be stopped. After this past weekend’s junior day netted Notre Dame five commitments, the Irish picked up a sixth in wide receiver Corey Robinson. The San Antonio, Texas native, a six-foot-four and likely growing wide receiver that’s the son of the original five-star athlete, David “The Admiral” Robinson, gave Irish head coach Brian Kelly his commitment just days after leaving Notre Dame’s campus.
Christian McCollum of IrishSportsDaily.com was able to track down Robinson after making the decision.
“My dad and I loved the visit but I didn’t want to make a decision off of emotion,” Robinson told ISD. “I wanted to take a few days to think it over and pray and everything led me to Notre Dame.”
Robinson picked the Irish over a growing list of offers that included Wake Forest, Kansas, Iowa, North Carolina, and his father’s alma mater Navy. He joins James Onwualu in the Irish recruiting class as a projected wide receiver, though Robinson might be the true definition of a “big skill” player.
While the 660 receiving yards and 10 touchdowns during his junior season are nothing to sneeze at, many think Robinson’s best days on the football field are ahead of him. With a Hall of Fame father that towers as a seven-footer, Robinson isn’t likely to be done growing, and building on his already large frame only adds to his ability to create mismatches from the wide receiver position.
After targeting players with the speed and athleticism that has been missing at the position, Robinson looks to be a mold-breaker for Kelly and his staff, and someone who at the very least can walk in and be a red zone mismatch while he builds on his lean frame and continues to develop a solid skill set and good hands. Whether he’s able to physically grow into a tight end or merely stays a lanky wide out remains to be seen, but Robinson is an intriguing athlete who combines high upside with great character.
The Irish were the first school to offer Robinson a scholarship when Kerry Cooks made the call to Robinson’s San Antonio Christian high school a little less than a month after the Army All-American combine. With little knowledge of Notre Dame, Corey sat down to watch Rudy. From there, it’s seemed like Notre Dame was the school to beat.
“I never knew Notre Dame had that kind of history until I did my research,” Corey told MySanAntonio.com. “I watched ‘Rudy’ and was like, ‘Man, this is Notre Dame we’re talking about!’”
Robinson is the ninth member of the 2013 recruiting class. All but tight end Jacob Matuska were in South Bend last weekend.