April 12, 2022 should go down as a great day in Penn State football history.
It was the day Chop Robinson committed to transfer to PSU from Maryland.
Robinson, a five-star recruit from Quince Orchard High School in Gaithersburg, Maryland, stayed in-state at first, but transferred to Penn State— which ranked highly in his initial recruitment— after spring practice of his second year.
Since then, he’s become one of Penn State’s best players, and he lived up to that billing in Week 4’s 31-0 demolition of Iowa played under White Out conditions at Beaver Stadium. His second-half strip sack helped put Iowa away.
Pro Football Focus was as impressed with Robinson as anyone else, if no more so. Robinson it’s highest-graded defensive player of Week 4 with a minimum of 20 snaps. The outlet him a 95.4 grade and put him on its weekly team of the week.
CHOP🗣🗣@PennStateFball pic.twitter.com/4bpZWlGCOQ
— PFF College (@PFF_College) September 26, 2023
But the most important thing to Robinson was getting the win, especially against Iowa.
Add Nittany Sports Now as a preferred source in Google! Click here to add us.This week’s game was personal for PSU.
The last time the two teams had met, Iowa beat Penn State, 23-20, scoring 20 of the game’s last 23 points.
But what’s remembered most from that game— at least by PSU and its fans— is Iowa’s fanbase booing injured Penn State players, Iowa’s special teams coordinator LeVar Woods flopping on the ground to mock Penn State and Iowa head coach Kirk Ferentz defending the fans later.
Penn State has its revenge, and Robinson was proud to take part.
“I don’t know if you saw that,” Robinson told reporters after the game, “but once I got the strip sack, I flopped twice.”
Robinson’s time at PSU hasn’t been a flop, and it might well lead him to hearing his name called during the first round of the 2024 NFL Draft.
