Patience Paying Off For Robinson
September 04, 2025 | Football
Adam Greene
UGA Sports Communications
As the seconds ticked off the clock in the fourth quarter during Georgia's matchup against UMass last November, Ellis Robinson IV trotted onto the field. UMass threw a screen pass to wide receiver T.Y. Harding that went for about five yards before Robinson wrapped him up. Seemingly insignificant in a 52-21 game, the short completion was nothing to think twice about. However, Robinson had just recorded his first solo collegiate tackle.
A five-star recruit out of IMG Academy in Bradenton, Fla., Robinson was as sought after as any defensive prospect in the country. Coming out of high school, he was the No. 1-ranked cornerback prospect and the No. 3 overall player. Drawing interest from most of the major programs across the country, Robinson was regularly praised for his press coverage skills. With the new year on the horizon, Robinson signed with Georgia on Dec. 30, 2023.
He enrolled at Georgia early and spent the spring practicing and working out with the Bulldogs. Last fall, Robinson appeared in four games and made three tackles, including the solo stop against the Minutemen. He entered his second season at Georgia as a redshirt freshman with some on-field experience and plenty of room still to develop.
"He's improved his stamina, first and foremost," Georgia coach Kirby Smart said this week about Robinson's year-to-year progress. "The pace of the practice is really high, so his ability to maintain that, compete in the realm of receivers play after play, and play in fastball circumstances, he's done a good job doing that."
Robinson agreed, explaining, "SEC ball is completely different from high school. I'd say it took me a couple of months to adjust to it, even the practice aspects."
Despite his five-star recruiting rank and man-to-man coverage prowess, Smart emphasizes that there's much more that goes into playing defensive back at a skill position like cornerback. "He's always been very talented at covering people," Smart said, "but there's so much more that goes into playing defensive back, corner specifically, than just being able to cover people."
As a natural defensive back, there were many areas where the Bulldog staff wanted to see Robinson improve. "Zones, checks, eyes, motions, adjustments," Smart said. "He has bought into that. He said, 'You know what, that's important. That's what's keeping me off the field, and I want to work on that.'"
The coaches' points of emphasis were recognized. Knowing that 2025 would be his chance to make a significant impact on the Bulldogs' secondary, Robinson spent the offseason training and preparing for his opportunity.
Last Saturday, that opportunity came. Robinson made his first start against Marshall in front of a sold-out Sanford Stadium and shared a tackle-for-loss with linebacker Elo Modozie. "I had a little nerves with it being my first start," Robinson admitted, "but I was glad my coaches and teammates just trust me out there on the field with them."
Process over results. That's what the Georgia coaching staff preaches — not just to Robinson and the cornerback unit, but to the team as a whole. It rang especially true for the New Haven, Conn., native, who had spent nearly 20 months awaiting his chance.
"What I took away from that was staying patient," Robinson said of his long path to starting for Georgia, "knowing that my time was going to come eventually. I just had to wait for it."
While Robinson isn't a complete, polished player just yet, he already has many qualities that make him a strong defender. Smart points to "his communication, his understanding of the defense has been really good. Tackling and physicality are always important at corner, and he's not a guy that's afraid of it." Perhaps most important to his development is lining up across from Georgia's star-studded receiving corps in practice.
"I feel like we have the best receiving corps in the nation," Robinson said. "Going up against those guys in practice, it only makes you better."
Going forward, Smart has outlined a few key elements of his cornerbacks' play that Georgia will be looking for: "Did they do the process right? Were their eyes in the right spot? Did they play with the correct leverage? Did they play the right technique?" Any of these factors could contribute to split-second decisions that could mean the difference between an interception and a defensive miscue.
Robinson and the Bulldogs now turn their attention to Saturday's game against Austin Peay. A rising staple of the Bulldogs' secondary, Robinson has proven he belongs on the field, and his best football is still ahead of him.
UGA Sports Communications
As the seconds ticked off the clock in the fourth quarter during Georgia's matchup against UMass last November, Ellis Robinson IV trotted onto the field. UMass threw a screen pass to wide receiver T.Y. Harding that went for about five yards before Robinson wrapped him up. Seemingly insignificant in a 52-21 game, the short completion was nothing to think twice about. However, Robinson had just recorded his first solo collegiate tackle.
A five-star recruit out of IMG Academy in Bradenton, Fla., Robinson was as sought after as any defensive prospect in the country. Coming out of high school, he was the No. 1-ranked cornerback prospect and the No. 3 overall player. Drawing interest from most of the major programs across the country, Robinson was regularly praised for his press coverage skills. With the new year on the horizon, Robinson signed with Georgia on Dec. 30, 2023.
He enrolled at Georgia early and spent the spring practicing and working out with the Bulldogs. Last fall, Robinson appeared in four games and made three tackles, including the solo stop against the Minutemen. He entered his second season at Georgia as a redshirt freshman with some on-field experience and plenty of room still to develop.
"He's improved his stamina, first and foremost," Georgia coach Kirby Smart said this week about Robinson's year-to-year progress. "The pace of the practice is really high, so his ability to maintain that, compete in the realm of receivers play after play, and play in fastball circumstances, he's done a good job doing that."
Robinson agreed, explaining, "SEC ball is completely different from high school. I'd say it took me a couple of months to adjust to it, even the practice aspects."
Despite his five-star recruiting rank and man-to-man coverage prowess, Smart emphasizes that there's much more that goes into playing defensive back at a skill position like cornerback. "He's always been very talented at covering people," Smart said, "but there's so much more that goes into playing defensive back, corner specifically, than just being able to cover people."
As a natural defensive back, there were many areas where the Bulldog staff wanted to see Robinson improve. "Zones, checks, eyes, motions, adjustments," Smart said. "He has bought into that. He said, 'You know what, that's important. That's what's keeping me off the field, and I want to work on that.'"
The coaches' points of emphasis were recognized. Knowing that 2025 would be his chance to make a significant impact on the Bulldogs' secondary, Robinson spent the offseason training and preparing for his opportunity.
Last Saturday, that opportunity came. Robinson made his first start against Marshall in front of a sold-out Sanford Stadium and shared a tackle-for-loss with linebacker Elo Modozie. "I had a little nerves with it being my first start," Robinson admitted, "but I was glad my coaches and teammates just trust me out there on the field with them."
Process over results. That's what the Georgia coaching staff preaches — not just to Robinson and the cornerback unit, but to the team as a whole. It rang especially true for the New Haven, Conn., native, who had spent nearly 20 months awaiting his chance.
"What I took away from that was staying patient," Robinson said of his long path to starting for Georgia, "knowing that my time was going to come eventually. I just had to wait for it."
While Robinson isn't a complete, polished player just yet, he already has many qualities that make him a strong defender. Smart points to "his communication, his understanding of the defense has been really good. Tackling and physicality are always important at corner, and he's not a guy that's afraid of it." Perhaps most important to his development is lining up across from Georgia's star-studded receiving corps in practice.
"I feel like we have the best receiving corps in the nation," Robinson said. "Going up against those guys in practice, it only makes you better."
Going forward, Smart has outlined a few key elements of his cornerbacks' play that Georgia will be looking for: "Did they do the process right? Were their eyes in the right spot? Did they play with the correct leverage? Did they play the right technique?" Any of these factors could contribute to split-second decisions that could mean the difference between an interception and a defensive miscue.
Robinson and the Bulldogs now turn their attention to Saturday's game against Austin Peay. A rising staple of the Bulldogs' secondary, Robinson has proven he belongs on the field, and his best football is still ahead of him.
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