Marvin Robinson, the 6-foot-1, 204 pound four-star safety from Lake Region High School in Eagle Lake, Fla., finished his junior season with 98 tackles, four interceptions, four blocked punts and two fumbles caused. He also had five touchdowns on offense with three rushing scores and two receiving.
“I fill the gap well and can play sideline-to-sideline too,” Robinson said. “I’m also very versatile and can run the ball too. I have good hands and play very intense.”
He says he can bench 335-pounds, squat 485 and claims a 34-inch vertical jump.
“I want to be more vocal on the field and more of a leader,” he admitted. “I want to break on the ball better and get faster overall.”
Robinson estimated he has 15 scholarship offers and says he now favors Michigan slightly over Florida, Ohio State and South Florida. All of his favorites have offered as well as Boston College, Nebraska, Rutgers, UCF, North Carolina, Florida International, Clemson, UCLA, USC, Southern Miss, Tennessee and Purdue.
“These four are all pretty close,” he said. “Michigan is probably recruiting me the hardest though.”
Robinson says he’s already been to Michigan a few times, including last season for the Michigan State game. “I love the atmosphere at Michigan,” he said. “Also I have a good relationship with the coaches already. They’ve been recruiting me for a while and I’ve gotten to know them well.”
He says he’s being recruited by (quarterback) coach Rod Smith. “He’s a great guy,” Robinson said. “We’ve talked a lot about life and the little things too. He’s a good coach and I like how hard they are working to be on top again.
“They are pretty excited about next year,” he said. “They signed two top quarterbacks who can run the spread option offense well and they should be much better. I love the history they have and I know they’ll be back.”
Another school whose history has impressed Robinson is Michigan rival Ohio State. “It’s really a lot like Michigan,” he said. “They both have great history and tradition, they are both football towns and have fans that love them. They are great programs.”
Robinson says he likes schools with history and tradition and grew up following USC. “I really liked the offense they had with Reggie Bush, Mike Williams and Matt Leinart,” he said. “They had a great team and I loved watching them play."
He also says the Trojans have verbally offered him. “They haven’t sent me the letter yet but coach “T-Mac” (running back coach Todd McNair) said I’ve got an offer,” he said. “He said they would use me like they did Troy Polamalu and let me float around.”
With schools from all over the country recruiting him, Robinson says that distance will not be a factor. “I’ll go far or I’ll stay close,” he said. “It doesn’t matter to me. I went to the USC Rising Stars camp last summer and really liked it. While I was there I checked out UCLA too. It was cool.”
The two in-state schools that have also piqued Robinson’s interest are Florida and USF. “Florida has great coaches,” he said. “They are all really easy to talk to and I get along well with them. They are great teachers and develop their players.
“Plus, it’s an all-around great program,” he said. “They have amazing fans and have a lot going for them.”
While the Bulls don’t have the history or tradition of the Wolverines, Buckeyes or Gators, Robinson says that won’t hurt USF’s chances. “They are on the up-rise,” he said of South Florida. “The program is really improving and they are moving up every year. I like what they are building there.”
Robinson hasn’t attended any junior days yet this year, but plans on going to Central Florida’s Junior Day in April.
He says he’d like to major in either business or communications and reports a 3.0 core GPA and is taking the SAT in April. Robinson plans on graduating in December and says he’ll make a decision by then. “I really want to enroll early and play spring ball so I’m graduating in December,” he said. “I’ll probably take a few visits and commit during the season.”