By Matt Weiner (@mattweiner20) – Spear Reporter | Photo via Titus Wilkinson of The Spear
Teammates, friends and family members have all been asking SJSU football senior running back Kairee Robinson one question lately: ‘What’s next?’
“I’m just taking it one day at a time,” he tells them.
Though SJSU’s graduation ceremony is in a month, few can blame Robinson for not knowing his next endeavor. In August, he didn’t crack the Mountain West Wire‘s top-50 conference players list. But now? Well, Robinson’s a candidate for the 2023 Mountain West Offensive Player of the Year and a driving force behind what could be the greatest mid-season turnaround in program history.
With two regular-season games left, can Robinson bolster his rising draft profile en route to leading SJSU (5-5, 4-2 MW) to a bowl game and perhaps a Mountain West Championship?
In most circumstances, a 5-foot-8-inch, Group of Five late bloomer like Robinson could struggle to get exposure from NFL scouts. It’s a good thing he has SJSU running backs coach Alonzo “Zo” Carter by his side.
As a chair on the National Coalition of Minority Football Coaches executive committee, Carter can tap into to a vast NFL network that spans Steelers head coach Mike Tomlin, Eagles offensive coordinator Brian Johnson and Executive Vice President of the Baltimore Ravens Ozzie Newsome amongst countless others.
At the committee’s first-ever convention last year, Carter shared an elevator ride with former Lions head coach and current Panthers senior assistant Jim Caldwell.
“I’m like, ‘wow, this is Jim Caldwell, one of the few minority head coaches in the NFL [and] we are rubbing elbows,’” Carter said. “So it’s just great access.”
Carter expects over “1,000 coaches” to attend the coalition’s next convention in February. “You allow that scout or that coach to find that diamond in the rough and it makes them look good,” Carter said. “So you want to give them all the facts about the individual that you might not be able to get by just watching the film.”
But how far Carter’s elevator pitch goes depends on how far Robinson goes.
As SJSU ascended from 1-5 to 5-5, Robinson averaged 143.5 rushing yards while amassing eight rushing touchdowns and two receiving touchdowns. He’s currently second nationwide in rushing touchdowns (15) and sixth nationwide in yards per carry – a whopping 7.1.
“I love Coach “Zo” just for believing in me,” Robinson said last Saturday night after dismantling rival Fresno State’s front seven with 200 rushing yards and two touchdowns.
During the 42-18 thumping, Robinson showed how he could benefit an NFL roster; his ability to hit the edge and dust cornerbacks; durability to bulldoze defenders late into the game; razor-sharp cuts; a field vision that comes from weekly meetings with SJSU’s offensive line.
Such characteristics are why Carter’s connection with San Francisco 49ers running backs coach Bobby Turner – forged through his time interning in the Bill Walsh Diversity Coaching Fellowship – could lead to Robinson playing for his childhood team.
In a 2017 interview, Turner said that his ideal running back is as follows;
“No. 1 is toughness … we want guys that have speed, foot quickness, cutting ability and have to understand about patience. I want a young man that’s coachable.”
Sound familiar?
When a scout asked Carter if Robinson “fits that profile” to be potentially signed as an undrafted free agent, Carter responded with “a giant yes.”
Sure, Carter’s vouching may be biased – but – his reputation is on the line, too.
And Robinson – who boasted only one other FBS offer – earned Carter’s vouching over the last half-decade by proving he could take his renowned ‘tough love’ and flourish from it.
Carter can vividly recall an early morning practice in Robinson’s freshman year when he donned North Face gloves to ease bear crawls … much to his chagrin.
SJSU was sponsored by Adidas – not North Face.
“Kairee is funny when he’s wrong, he tilts his head and kind of squints a little and he tried to give me some answer and I’m like, ‘Take the damn gloves off,’” Carter said. “Now there are other younger guys I’m able to use that [as a] point of reference to show that I’m consistent.”
But can Robinson become a “point of reference” for Carter’s ability to develop a Mountain West Offensive Player of the Year? Robinson (919 rushing yards) could snatch the award should he continue his remarkable tear and UNLV wide receiver Ricky White (1,020 receiving yards and 60 catches) struggle.
Achieving this should get Robinson to the East-West Shrine Bowl: a college football all-star game that offers exposure to budding draft prospects. This also allows Carter to have detailed one-on-one conversations with scouts about Robinson on the sideline. “To be able to just answer intimate questions about these players is a major plus,” Carter said.
On the topic of high-exposure opportunities, Robinson could have millions of eyes bestowed upon him if SJSU beats SDSU (3-7, 1-5 MW) on his senior day this Saturday to clinch a bowl game. And if SJSU upsets UNLV (8-2, 5-1 MW) on the road the following week, all he’d need is Boise State to lose to Air Force that same Saturday to compete in the Mountain West Championship.
Robinson could be the face of the only SJSU squad to ascend from 1-5 to bowl eligible. Heck, no FBS team this year has flirted with a conference championship after starting 1-5.
So much to lose, so much to gain.
“Whatever is gonna happen, it’s gonna happen,” Robinson said. “God always has a plan.”
