UCLA Football Running Back Target Roderick Robinson II Sets Commitment Date
Not far removed from his latest stop in Westwood, California's top-ranked power back has accelerated his recruiting timeline.
Class of 2023 running back Roderick Robinson II, who had previously said he was planning to make his college decision in July or August, revealed to 247Sports that he would be announcing his commitment on May 26. Robinson narrowed his list down to six on May 7, which included Arizona, Auburn, Cal, Oregon, Tennessee and UCLA.
Robinson will be committing live at 10 a.m. on CBS Sports HQ.
The timing of Robinson's announcement may work in the Bruins' favor, as he is fresh off an official visit to Westwood on May 13. Robinson has been to the other finalists' campuses on unofficial visits over the course of the offseason, but his only official has been to UCLA, where he also took an unofficial back on March 31.
There may be a few other breadcrumbs that lead to another commitment for UCLA, as Director of Player Personnel Ethan Young tweeted out his signature "BOOM!" on Monday morning. The tweet, which signifies a verbal commitment the staff has received from a transfer or high school recruit, has not been followed up on by a public commitment as of Thursday.
A few hours before Young's "BOOM," running backs coach DeShaun Foster tweeted out a potentially celebratory GIF.
The two tweets from members of UCLA's staff came just a few days after Robinson was on campus, and he announced his fast-tracked commitment date another few days after that.
Should Robinson commit to the Bruins next Thursday, he would join receiver Grant Gray and safety-linebacker hybrid Ty Lee to give coach Chip Kelly three commits for the class of 2023.
Although Robinson has spoken glowingly of his visit and relationship with UCLA's coaches, his future is not set in stone. Texas A&M is a former semifinalist of his that is still supposedly in the mix, while Georgia and Florida came in with offers just this week, so the San Diego native could wind up joining the SEC if he sees that as his best path.
And similarly to Kelly and Foster, the offensive staffs at Arizona, Auburn, Cal, Oregon and Tennessee have NFL ties either as players, coaches or developers of draft prospects.
Robinson is a three-star recruit, according to the 247Sports Composite, Rivals and ESPN. 247Sports and On3, meanwhile have Robinson pegged as a four-star recruit.
Rivals has the 6-foot-1, 230-pound prospect ranked 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. Every major site has Robinson ranked as the top uncommitted running back in California, and No. 2 overall behind Bakersfield (CA) product and Washington commit Tybo Rogers.
Robinson burst onto the scene for Lincoln (CA) 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 his most recent campaign.
The end of February and beginning of March marked a jumping off point of sorts in 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.
UCLA has Zach Charbonnet set to be the workhorse out of the backfield in 2022, but he is expected to leave for the NFL Draft next offseason. That will leave a redshirt senior Keegan Jones, a redshirt sophomore Deshun Murrell and a sophomore Tomarion Harden as the returners in the position group, none of whom have experience as a lead back at the college level.
Robinson's size seems to fit the profile the Bruins had so much success with in 2021, as both Charbonnet and Brittain Brown were also 6-foot-1 when they led the most productive ground attack in the Pac-12. Robinson has weight on both of them as a high schooler, though, so he could bring yet another new dynamic to the table if he ends up joining UCLA.
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