Top Running Back Roderick Robinson II Includes UCLA Football On List of 6 Finalists

Robinson narrowed his list from nine to six, including the Bruins alongside Auburn, Oregon and Tennessee.

The Bruins have once again advanced to the next stage in their recruitment of one of the top ball-carriers on the West Coast.

Nearly two months after including the blue and gold in his top nine, class of 2023 running back Roderick Robinson II has made UCLA one of his top six finalists. The Lincoln High School (CA) product is also considering Arizona, Auburn, Cal, Oregon and Tennessee.

The four semifinalists who were trimmed from Robinson's list were Miami (FL), Texas A&M, USC and Stanford, while Auburn was a new addition to the surviving group.

Robinson also held offers from Arizona State, Colorado, Colorado State, Duke, Florida State, Jackson State, Nevada, New Mexico State, Utah, Utah State and Washington State, but for the time being, those schools are out of the running for his commitment.

The 6-foot-1, 230-pound power back received his offer from UCLA on Feb. 17 and unoficially visited Westwood on March 31. Robinson has also taken unofficial visits to Tennessee, Auburn and Arizona this spring, and he made his way out to Oregon and Cal last summer.

Robinson has marked off June for when he wants to take three official visits to help him finalize his decision, according to an interview he did with 247Sports.

Robinson is a three-star prospect according to the 247Sports Composite and Rivals. Rivals has the prospect ranked higher, putting him at No. 21 in California and No. 22 among running backs, while the 247Sports Composite has him at No. 25 in-state and No. 28 at his position. 247Sports has Robinson pegged as a four-star recruit, though.

Both sites have Robinson ranked as the top running back in California.

Robinson burst onto the scene for the Lincoln Hornets in 2021, rushing for 1,273 yards and 17 touchdowns on 185 carries across 11 games. His stature has made him primarily a power back, although he did record 52 receiving yards on six catches during the most recent campaign.

The end of February and beginning of March marked another jumping off point for Robinson's recruitment even beyond his gaudy high school numbers – he picked up invites to the Rivals Camp and Under Armour Next Camp, earning running back MVP honors at the former.

If the junior were to select the Bruins as his future team, he would be the second commit for the class of 2023, joining receiver Grant Gray. Robinson is one of three running backs the Bruins have offered, but Tybo Rogers has already committed to Washington. Outside of Robinson, coach Chip Kelly and running backs coach DeShaun Foster are truly only in on Jayden Limar.

Running back Tomarion Harden is being added to the fold for the 2022 season, joining the likes of Keegan Jones, Christian Grubb, Deshun Murrell and Zach Charbonnet — the latter opting to return to Westwood instead of entering the 2022 NFL Draft. Charbonnet will presumably be gone by 2023, leaving the bulk of the carries up for grabs one year down the road.

Robinson has set Aug. 18 as his commitment date in order to wrap up his recruitment before the start of his senior year.

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