Dylan Robinson Is Another UW Freshman Unwilling to Wait

When the pads came on for the University of Washington football team in fall camp, so did the intensity for Dylan Robinson.

Early in the third practice, the 6-foot-3, 195-pound freshman cornerback from La Verne, California, served notice that he wasn't going to feel his way around, that he wasn't your typical often awestruck newcomer.

Unapologetically, Robinson knocked Penn State transfer receiver Omari Evans to the ground in the end zone. He didn't help him up either.

Not too much later, he got equally physical with walk-on receiver Luke Gayton on a pass play over the middle, bringing secondary coach John Richardson out and to say something to him.

We're guessing this newcomer wasn't told to back off any.

"it's a race to maturity, but he's noticeable out there," Richardson said. "He's big. He's strong. He's athletic. ... He's playing with more urgency, especially coming from high school. Urgency is a little bit different."

While fellow freshman offensive guard John Mills, safety Rylon Dillard-Allen and wide receiver Dezmen Roebuck have drawn plenty of attention early on as young players who could play or even start right away, Robinson hasn't necessarily been in that conversation.

The difference for him is, no matter what he does, the rangy corner just isn't going to to unseat either Tacario Davis or Ephesians Prysock for a starting role. Those seniors simply are too tall and too talented to lose their jobs.

Yet at the same time, Robinson still has made people look at him, especially in Saturday's mock game, when he stepped in front of a Demond Williams Jr. pass intended for Rashid Williams and put his own name in the equation.

On the second play of the evening, Robinson intercepted the ball and returned it 37 yards for an instant touchdown before a lot of fans had a chance to sit down in Husky Stadium and look this team over.

Dylan Robinson will try to get his hands on as many footballs as he can at cornerback. | Dan Raley

Meantime, he also turned up that night on UW special teams, on the kickoff team, with the obvious plan to turn him loose however possible.

Robinson shared this assignment with safeties Alex McLaughlin, CJ Christian, Makell Esteen, Vince Holmes and Dillard-Allen, plus nickelback Leroy Bryant and linebackers Anthony Ward, Buddah Al-Uqdah and Xe'ree Alexander.

Robinson came to the UW as a 4-star recruit, yet he was as more of a wide receiver than a defensive back at Bonita High School. So he's getting a tutorial on details.

"Being in high school, he was pure athlete," Richardson said. "Now he's just trying to find some technique."

Two days before the mock game was held, Robinson came up with his first interception of the spring, again stealing a Williams pass intended for the other Williams on the right sideline. He didn't score, but it was memorable to him.

"He was so excited," Richardson said, "he caught a cramp."

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