By outreach@cw.ua.edu (Matthew Speakman)

Brian Robinson wanted to play for Alabama his entire life. Growing up two minutes from Bryant-Denny Stadium, the structure reminded him of his main goal.

Robinson remembers the time that his dream became a reality. He could not believe it.

“Coach [Nick] Saban offered me in 
person,” Robinson said. “It was one of those unbelievable feelings. It was hard for me to believe. We were sitting in his office, and he told me ‘I’m going to offer you a full scholarship.’ I’m like ‘You can’t be serious. Like, are you for real?’”

Robinson was not the only one in his life that was all Alabama. His mother, Kimberly Little, saw potential in him from the moment he started playing football.

Little raised him to be an Alabama fan and wanted him to get the chance to play for the Crimson Tide. On Wednesday, Robinson made his mother even happier by signing his letter of intent with Alabama. Even though she wanted her son to play in Tuscaloosa, Little said she would have supported him no matter where he went.

“[Robinson choosing Alabama] was a big relief, but regardless of where he was going to choose, I was going to ride with him,” Little said. “Wherever he was going to play, I was going to be his No. 1 fan.”

Robinson’s mother has been a coach for him off the field. When speaking with his coach, Sam Adams, he mentioned Robinson’s ability to carry himself in a respectable manner.

This demeanor comes from his mom. She showed him the importance of being the best person he could be outside of the game of football.

“Every day, I stressed how important this is for his career and for his opportunity,” Little said. “It’s hard for kids to get this opportunity, so I stressed to him daily that he’s worked too hard all his life to blow this opportunity.”

The four-star running back committed to the Crimson Tide on Nov. 9 of last year and stayed firm in this commitment. Robinson rushed for 990 yards and 18 touchdowns in his final season with Hillcrest High School.

Robinson actually has a couple of records to his name. In a game against Clay-Chalkville during his junior season, he rushed for 447 yards, breaking the Alabama 6A high school record for rushing yards in a game. The performance also put him in the top five in Alabama high school history for single-game rushing yards.

Adams said Robinson’s versatility makes him an asset for Alabama.

“What gives Brian that extra edge over a lot of high school running backs is the complete skill set that he’s developed over here in the last three years,” Adams said. “For example, a lot of guys coming out of high school have never really protected the passer at all… he does that and does it really well.”

Adams coached Robinson for three years. He took over the Hillcrest job after being an assistant at Hoover High School and said Robinson possessed raw talent, even in his underclassman years. Adams believes one decision between Robinson’s sophomore and junior years helped him become a top recruit.

“At the end of his sophomore year, he ran track for the first time,” Adams said. “That increased his straight-line foot speed. In his sophomore season, that was one thing that was maybe missing a little bit if we’re talking about elite running backs. He could run well, but he wanted the guy who was going to pull away from you. If you watch his film as a junior, he looks like a completely different runner.”

Alabama’s backfield, which already features three running backs who battled for playing time last season, added another running back outside of Robinson. Five-star Najee Harris, ranked No. 3 in the country by the 247Sports composite, signed with the Crimson Tide.

With so many talented players lobbying for spots, many wondered if Robinson’s choice to go to Alabama was the right one. He shakes off these notions. He believes he can have an immediate impact. After all, Robinson loves the competition.

“It’s all about competition,” he said. “Most players that are not afraid to compete, it’s really not a question for them. So I wasn’t worried the day I committed. I knew they had two, nice, five-star running backs already committed. It didn’t terrify me.”

Robinson has been seen as the sleeper recruit in an other-worldly recruiting class from Alabama. The Crimson Tide signed 26 recruits, including six five-star players. With so many top talents coming to Tuscaloosa, Robinson has been slightly overlooked in the class.

Sleeper running backs have made an impact in the past. Most recently, Josh Jacobs, a three-star recruit, became a versatile weapon for Alabama during his first year with the team. Robinson saw Jacobs’ path, and wants to embrace being overlooked in Alabama’s backfield.

“I don’t mind being the underdog,” Robinson said. “Me being a sleeper in my class, I just gotta prove a lot of people wrong. That’s all that is. If I was the No. 1 player, I would have to live up to expectations. So I’d rather be the underdog.”

As Robinson enters into competition with the flurry of Alabama running backs, he believes the sky is the limit. He wants to prove he can be one of the best.

“It’s about how you show up and what you do when it comes down to it,” Robinson said. “So everybody gotta work. Regardless of what I’m ranked on 247[Sports] or ESPN, it will all show in due time at Alabama.”

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Source:: The Crimson White Sports