Fall Camp Surprise? Donovan Robinson Was A Big Hit

The second-year linebacker from Chicago greatly enhanced his role with the Huskies.

Donovan Robinson moves from drill to drill in spring ball. | Dave Sizer photo

He's the other Robinson, a converted linebacker still learning the position and well down the depth chart, and someone who typically wouldn't be in the mix with the University of Washington football season opener fast approaching.

However, if there was a young player who's made a big move during fall camp over the past month to make everyone take notice, it's been second-year player Donovan Robinson, who hasn't appeared in a Husky game just yet.

Looking at his role on paper, the 6-foot-2, 225-pound Robinson from Chicago would be a third-teamer likely with little chance of playing meaningful minutes with the well-seasoned Jacob Manu, Zaydrius Rainey-Sale, Xe'ree Alexander and Buddah Al-Uqdah all ahead of him.

"I've got a lot of confidence in Donovan and would not be scared to put Donovan in the game at all," UW linebackers coach Brian Odom said this past week.

Robinson, no relation to 2025 classmate and starting cornerback Dylan Robinson, has done what great linebackers do to bring attention to themselves.

"The thing I like about Donovan this camp is how violent he's been," Odom said. "Like he's been a violent tackler a majority of the time. It really shows up in the perimeter. When he makes a read and would go make a tackle in the perimeter, he's a violent guy."

A year ago, he arrived from Loyola Academy in the Chicago suburbs as a safety, who actually played with a lot with cornerback responsibilities. Yet in looking at his frame and physicality, the Huskies convinced him to come to Montlake and become a linebacker.

After a learning year and not getting on the field on game day, Robinson showed up in the Spring Game with a real instinctive move by intercepting a Derek Zammit pass and returning it 36 yards for a touchdown.

Donovan Robinson intercepts a Derek Zammit pass and returns it 36 yards for a score in the Spring Game. | Dave Sizer photo

Once fall camp began, this Robinson logically would have slid back down the depth chart and not been heard from again.

However, each of the four veterans ahead of him missed time or were limited because they got physically nicked up in practice or, as in the case of Al-Uqdah, was coming back from knee surgery.

So the Huskies stuck Robinson into positions of major responsibility, having him take snaps with the No. 1 defense, and he looked good doing it.

"I'm been very happy with him," Odom said. "He's got a tons of reps this fall, which is going to be good and beneficial for him. It's beneficial for us to be able to look at it and say, 'Can you be that guy?' "

From Robinson, the answer is yes.