Last season, Penn State fans wondered for most of the year when Koby Howard was going to break out.
This article isn’t about Koby Howard, but rather one of his new teammates who spent his true freshman season at Iowa State.
After Matt Campbell left ISU for PSU, Zay Robinson was one of 24 Cyclones who followed him to Happy Valley.
At Campbell’s first local media day press conference as Penn State’s head coach earlier this month, he said that Robinson and Howard were in a similar spot as true freshmen.
“I think Zay Robinson is a young guy that kind of similar to what Koby was,” Campbell said. (It) sounded like what everybody was talking about Koby a year ago here. Zay had the same conversation going on at Iowa State. Man, this really talented young guy, huge flashes of success during fall camp and the season during practice. And I think was kind of waiting for his opportunity to emerge onto the scene and was really close… I think Zay is in the same boat where, man, what can he consistently show up and do?”
Time will tell if Robinson is consistent enough to be a big-time player in college football.
But fall camp is a good time to impress a coaching staff, and that’s what Robinson did during this past Saturday’s scrimmage.
Taylor Mouser, who was Robinson’s offensive coordinator at Iowa State last year and now at Penn State, said Robinson was the scrimmage’s MVP and that he scored the longest touchdown of camp thus far.
“He was phenomenal,” Mouser said. “We move him around from the slot to the outside. He’s been our swing guy who plays tight end in our 10-personnel (sets) … He can just bounce around.”
Mouser said he challenged Robinson “to be better” at the end of spring camp.
“Because he’s one of our most competitive guys,” Mouser said. “And he rose to the challenge, and he’s done a good job of making contested catches in the middle of the field, out on the outside. I’ve just been impressed with his ability to turn himself into a pro with how he prepares every day.”
Going back a few weeks to media day, Campbell hit on some of Robinson’s physical capabilities.
“Can really run,” Campbell said, “can really stretch the field vertically. Man, (he) has the ability to get in and out of his cuts and do some really great things.”
