Montclair (NJ) 2021 ATH Robinson details Rutgers PWO commitment
January usually means a heavy dose of Scarlet Knights football preferred walk-on commitments and that’s exactly what we’re getting.
Rutgers landed another one on Thursday with the pledge of Montclair (NJ) 2021 athlete Michael Robinson.
The 6-foot-1, 195-pounder had a preferred walk-on offer from Michigan along with interest coming in from Bryant and Monmouth, but the chance to play for the Scarlet Knights came about quickly and they surged to the top of his list.
“It was stirring up for the past two weeks,” Robinson told The Knight Report. “They had Coach Eric Josephs reach out to me with an evaluation process and a few other coaches then reached out to me about wanting me there. Coach [Greg] Schiano and Coach [Tiquan] Underwood had a conversation with me the other night about culture and what it means to be a part of Rutgers. He said that if I’m ready to be about the culture, then I have an opportunity. I’m happy to be a part of it.”
When Schiano joined the call, Robinson was amazed. He shared his emotions and believes he shares the same goals as Rutgers’ head man.
“I was so happy to see his name pop up on our call,” he said. “I was a little nervous actually. He’s a legend in my eyes. He wants to win and change that program around and I want to win too. He wants to bring them to a power in the Big Ten and a program that can win championships and I’m all for that. I’ve been watching the Big Ten for years now and I’ll be forever grateful he gave me a chance.”
Robinson played quarterback for the Mounties as a junior and senior, but Schiano and Underwood see him producing as a pass catcher, which he did for the school as a sophomore. He believes he’s capable of making the position change at the next level.
“I didn’t get a lot of experience at it during sophomore year because I was just filling a void since our usual slot receiver Charles Murphy played quarterback that year,” he said. “I enjoyed the experience though. I liked everything about it from the route-running, to film study, to learning how to get open and getting other guys open. It’s just like being a total teammate on the field and I can’t wait to help this team.”
Rutgers defensive lineman Shawn Collins has a strong relationship with Robinson and the two spent multiple years on the gridiron together in Montclair.
They’re thrilled to get back together on the field again.
“Shawn called me last night after he found out,” he said. “We’re close, that’s my brother right there. He spoke very highly about me and my work ethic when the coaches asked about me. He told them about the leadership I brought to the team when he was there and he helped me throughout the recruiting process. I’m excited to play with him again and continue living out our dreams.”
Robinson holds a 3.8 GPA and plans to major in sports management/communications.