When a highly-touted high school football player makes his decision as to what college he will attend, that player expects to see the field within his first couple of years on campus.
It’s not often that you see the case of senior defensive end Jamarr Robinson. After sitting on the sidelines for four seasons, Robinson made his first career start last Saturday against Portland State.
“It has been a long time coming, so it really means a lot,” Robinson said. “It is a real good feeling.”
Robinson committed to ASU prior to the 2006 season as a linebacker. Then ASU coach Dirk Koetter was enamored by the potential that he saw in the young linebacker, but chose to redshirt him for the 2006 season.
That offseason was an interesting one for Robinson and ASU. Koetter was relieved of his duties as head coach and Dennis Erickson was put in charge of the program.
While trying to make an impression on the new coaching staff, Robinson blew out his knee in the 2007 spring game.
Robinson did come back from the injury in 2007, but only appeared in three games.
“The injury set me back for a good two years,” Robinson said. “I didn’t really trust running around on it. There was a lot of hesitation with the injury.”
Prior to the 2008 season, Robinson was given the challenge of learning a new position, shifting from linebacker to defensive end.
He got into five games in 2008, but recorded just one tackle. Last year was much of the same, seeing limited playing time in just seven games.
That is four years of almost no playing time.
“It was real frustrating,” Robinson said. “I talked to people that I look up to, my brother and my mom. It really was just a lesson of life. Keep pushing through adversity, but it was pretty frustrating.”
While he relied on his family for a lot of support, his teammates also were a major reason that Robinson stayed focused.
“I talked to my family the most about it, but my teammates really kept me in the swing of things,” Robinson said. “(They) kept me energized and kept me in good spirits.”
Many young athletes today come in with a great sense of entitlement and expect to play right away and when they don’t, they transfer.
Robinson did the opposite; he used his frustrations as motivation to keep working. Now he is a starting defensive end in the Pac-10.
ASU coach Dennis Erickson credits his rise in the depth chart to the work that Robinson put in during the offseason in the weight room.
"(Jamarr) was there all spring and he was there in the summer when he didn't have to be (in the weight room),” Erickson said. “He's put on a lot of weight. He wants to be good.”
Robinson knows that many people out there don’t understand how much starting for ASU means to him or how long he waited for this moment.
“No I don’t think they can,” Robinson said. “I don’t think they can imagine how long that I have waited, either.”
Robinson has some pretty big shoes to fill, replacing a guy that was one of the reasons Robinson was kept off the field. Dexter Davis started all 50 games of his ASU career and finished third in school history with 31 sacks.
“I don’t see it that I am replacing him, as much as just being consistent,” Robinson said. “With the guys that we have up front, we all are going to perform, we all are going to get sacks.”
Early in the season, it looked as if ASU had a tremendous amount of depth on the defensive line, but due to injuries and academic issues, the interior of the line is depleted a bit.
“With us missing (defensive) tackles, it is kind of difficult,” Robinson said. “Guys have to learn new positions, there is just a transition period where we have to stay on our P’s and Q’s and just know what we are doing.”
You would think that because he waited so long for the opportunity, that Robinson would be anxious to make up all four years in one season.
That is not the case. Robinson is not concerned about personal stats or achievements.
All he wants to do is win. That is how he will enjoy his senior season.
“In order to enjoy it, we have to win,” Robinson said. “Whatever position my coach wants to put me in to win, I’m down for it. I just want to enjoy my last year with all my teammates and hopefully have a winning season.”
Reach the reporter at andrew.gruman@asu.edu
