DB Commit John Robinson IV, More than a Talented Football Player
UCONN head coach Bob Diaco received the 11th commitment for the 2015 recruiting class on Saturday and it came in the form of 6’ 2” defensive back John Robinson IV, who attends Dwight Morrow High School (Englewood, NJ). He becomes the fifth player pulled from Rutgers’ own backyard and this one could be special folks.
Once again, we are talking size, athleticism, intelligence and most importantly, character. The theme that continues with Robinson IV’s commitment is making the 2015 class one that fans are really going to want to root for; not only because they will be representing Connecticut in the national flag blue and white, but because of who these individuals are as people, but we will get to that in a moment.
First off, why did Robinson IV, whose main recruiters were defensive coordinator and safeties coach Anthony Poindexter, recruiting coordinator and defensive line coach Kevin Wolfhausen and cornerbacks coach and co-special teams coordinator Josh Reardon, choose UCONN?
“They recruited me for a while,” Robinson IV communicated over the phone this evening. “UCONN sent a lot of letters and I heard from the coaches quite a bit. When Coach Poindexter came to see me, it really put UCONN in my head. They offered me in early June and two weeks later I was there on a visit. That’s when I met Coach Reardon and it was then that it all set in that UCONN is the place for me. The distance is not too far and I really want to play for this coaching staff.”
The campus and facilities didn’t hurt either.
“I loved the campus, it’s big, but at the same time it’s not overwhelming that I’ll get lost there. The football complex is awesome,” the defensive back continued raising his voice in approval. “The indoor field, I loved it. That place can compete with any other FBS, 1-A school; it was the best I have seen.”
The soon-to-be senior was receiving a lot of interest from Rutgers, Maryland, Virginia, Cincinnati, Temple, Albany and UNH.
His high school coach, Barry Harris, was a part of the recruiting process from the get-go.
“As with all of our athletes here, I was very involved when the UCONN coaches came,” Harris said over the phone this evening. “I want the best for all of my players and I like to give them the best insight from my perspective. This was Coach Diaco’s second time down here, [referring to Diaco’s recruitment of 6’ 4” WR Julius Wingate, who committed to Stony Brook for 2014]. John was THE guy that Coach Diaco wanted early on at UCONN and when he finally got his staff together, he sent Coach Poindexter and Coach Wolfhausen down. They were both completely up front with myself and John. They highlighted the plan they have for him and the high quality program they plan on building with really intelligent kids.”
“Coach Poindexter really believes in him,” Harris added. “He told him, ‘I can bring you to where you want to be as a top player.’ He was honest and made it known that John wasn’t just another player for them, they plan on him being something special. You know, John is like a son to me and having kids of my own, I needed to have trust in the staff where he was headed and I really do.”
Coach Harris originally met John six years ago when the defensive back was playing junior football for the Englewood feeder program.
“He’s always been a good worker on the field,” Harris said. “He’s such a great leader. John’s always been a strong athlete on the field, as well as in the classroom. He does everything you need to be successful.”
“He’s really grown into a great player in the game of football,” he continued. “He’s always had the drive to play football at a high level, always working on his craft as both a wide receiver and defensive back. He’s in a program that has seen a lot of successful players come through it, so when he saw those kids having success, he followed what they did and now here he is, going to a top program.”
The defensive back, who also runs track, started playing corner his junior year. Having only played safety prior, mostly due to his size, his coach decided to bring him up closer to the line, as that’s where he wants his best athletes.
“It’s rare for a guy that’s 6’ 2” to be a lock down corner and such a great tackler,” the third year coach at Dwight Morrow continued. “He’s a student of the game and really studies his opponents. He’s such a leader that when he’s watching film, he has his teammates in there with him. He’s so athletic, runs a 10.9 100-meter, 22.9 200-meter and is under 50 in the 400-meter. He has the speed and can cover in open space. I never have to worry about giving him help over the top when he’s one-on-one because he’s such a sure tackler. You always know the ball carrier is going down.”
Robinson IV, who added he’s run a 4.5 40, picked up where his head coach left off.
“Playing corner really helped me become a better football player. I’m a really long kid, so it’s not hard for me to cover the big receivers. I also have the speed that it isn’t a problem to stick with the small guys either. I use my length to my advantage, I have the speed and I take pride in my technique and ball skills. I just love playing that position.”
“There’s no doubt the coaches want me to play corner when I get to UCONN,” he went on. “What really sold the staff, in my opinion, was when Coach Poindexter came down and saw that I was really 6’ 2”. A lot of times when coaches see the heights listed on Hudl or Rivals, it’s not accurate. But they really fell in love with me when they saw that my size was true. I remember my first meeting with Coach Reardon, the first thing he did was measure my length. He really loved my size overall and reinforced that they will keep me at corner because of that.”
The football field, however, is not the only place where the talented athlete excels.
“John is in a special academy here, a high-end academic program, that in order to get into you need to be tested and go through an interview process,” his coach explained. “He’s been taking all honors classes in that program since his freshman year, always getting solid grades. He’s just doing a great job academically.”
The classroom is not where it ends, however, as the defensive back is actively involved in his community.
“He’s one of our campus leaders and is heavily involved in a group that was formed for violence against women. He’s one of our greatest leaders in the community outreach program where he helps guide the junior players and the young kids really look up to him. UCONN is getting a great student athlete.”
“A lot of it was how I was raised,” Robinson IV responded. “My grandmother got me involved in a number of church groups, helping the poor and tutoring kids. It keeps me active as I really don’t like sitting around, to me that’s boring. It was always because I liked doing it. My mom put me in a lot of community programs when I was young and it was just something I’ve enjoyed since then.”
During the conversation with Coach Harris, the new UCONN commit was hard at work in the gym, something he has become addicted to since he started growing.
“I just want to always up my game and be in the weight room, working out. I spent the whole winter training, putting on weight. I ran indoor track and played basketball for my school so really the only day off for me were Saturday’s. All of it is to become a better athlete. I had to get in the gym when I started growing really quickly. I had some issues adjusting to my body so I had to get stronger to keep up and I’ve never left.”
During practice at Dwight Morrow, Robinson IV has been able to go against two Division I wide receivers, in Wingate, mentioned above, and Maryland’s Juwann Winfree (his cousin), who received twenty (20) scholarship offers from top programs around the nation. That has enabled the corner to practice hard and challenge himself every day.
Finally, there is Coach Diaco, who has left quite an impression with every commit and coaching staff this recruiting season.
“Coach Diaco has such a great background. When you get a coach, who has the experiences he has from his time at Notre Dame, to come down here for John, it was great for us and our program,” Harris said. “He’s a high integrity, football guy and his players are really interested in him. He wasn’t coming to our school just for Coach Diaco, he was coming here to get a very, very good player to help build a nationally ranked program and John wants to be a part of that.”
“Coach Diaco is a great man,” Robinson IV added. “I want to play under him. The first time I spoke to him was when I got the offer. He shared a lot, how UCONN was a good place to be, the academics, his plan for the program. He let me know that I was one of their primary targets and the fact that he’s bringing a lot of new life to UCONN, I want to be a part of that. When I committed, I could tell him and his staff were really excited, so that helped reinforce that I made the right decision.”
So has the feedback he has gotten from the rest of the 2015 class.
“I know Ben Hartwick, who committed before me, we’ve met before and we actually play each against each other the second game of the season, so that will be fun. I’ve also talked to DB Aaron Garland since my commitment, DT Kevin Murphy, and OLB Connor Freeborn, as well.”
“The one who was on me the most to get to UCONN though, was QB Tyler Davis. I haven’t met him in person yet, but from the moment he got on me about UCONN, he didn’t give me a second to breathe. I was already thinking about committing, but he really confirmed what was already in my head. He was jacked, for sure, when I let him know. It’s all really reinforced my decision.”
Whether or not this class translates into wins and championships remains to be seen, but the one thing that can be guaranteed, is this class is going to develop into a strong and cohesive team, something that has Coach Diaco, written all over it.
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