In 2021 alone, former junior college stars Jaquan Brisker (All-American and current Chicago Bear) and Ji’Ayir Brown (All-Big Ten and current star cornerback) led Penn State’s secondary.
If there’s any school that’s been able to identify JUCO defensive backs over the last few seasons, it’s Penn State. And one of the first in the class of 2023 has been Anthony Robinson.
Robinson, a 6-foot-3, 190-pound corner who will play for Butler Community College in El Dorado, Kansas this fall, originally hails from Overlea High School in Baltimore, Maryland. But with a recent Penn State connection, he’s — recently, as of July 2 — begun to really build that relationship.
“It’s (an) excellent (relationship) because when I got off the phone with (associate head coach and cornerbacks coach) Terry Smith yesterday, he explained to me why they mostly choose east coast guys because basically, it’s easier to get them because it’s closer to home,” Robinson told Nittany Sports Now. “Coach Terry doesn’t go for guys out on the west coast.”
With offers from Elon, BYU, Western Illinois, Indiana, Marshall, Western Kentucky, Colorado State and Jackson State and interest from Missouri, Arizona, Washington, Utah State, Florida, Maryland, West Virginia and others, Robinson has received steady interest as a long, well-built cornerback with years of eligibility remaining. And that’s what has helped PSU jump into the chase.
With an initial connection with assistant recruiting coordinator Rashad Elby, that relationship has blossomed to include Smith. And while Smith has been a key factor for Robinson, Elby really opened the door and built the bond.
“For coach (Rashad) Elby, he really wants me to come up there,” Robinson said. “He’s pushing right now to get me an offer, so that’s all we’ve been talking about. We’ve been talking about the defensive backs at Penn State, the defensive backs that have made it out of Penn State, talking about what high school I went to.”
As a JUCO athlete, Robinson has his fall slate of games ahead of him, but even with Penn State playing at the same time, Smith has told Robinson that he’ll try to make it out to one of his games this season. And Robinson for his part is looking at a Sept. 2 visit (which is the weekend of an away game at Purdue) or a Nov. 26 visit (a home game finale against Michigan State).
And in being a JUCO athlete who hopes to make it to the Division I level, Robinson still has goals that he’s still looking to meet at the current level. Of course, those include setting a new interception record, being named to the All-American team and bringing a national championship home to a Butler.
“It’s very difficult because I’ve still gotta focus on the goal that’s ahead of me right now,” Robinson said. “I gotta get a national championship for the JUCO that I’m at and achieve goals where I’m at right now instead of looking forward to December.”
At the end of the day though, with a December graduation date, Robinson hopes to be able to commit to his next home by the end of November. And with a strong bond with Smith, built over a meaningful conversation, Robinson feels like Penn State has a leg up.
Neither 247Sports nor Rivals has rated Robinson yet, but with a strong season at renowned JUCO school Butler, his stock as a long, rangy cornerback could leap in a big way.
Penn State’s class of 2023 already includes commitments from four-star safety Elliot Washington (Venice, Florida), four-star safety King Mack (Fort Lauderdale, Florida), four-star safety DaKaari Nelson (Selma, Alabama) and three-star cornerback Lamont Payne (Bridgeville, Pennsylvania).
