Kentucky’s Davonte Robinson has a message for everyone: ‘I’m still here’
Two years removed from a torn quad that sidelined him in 2019, Davonte Robinson feels more like himself going into the 2021 season.
The former Henry Clay High School standout was able to play in every game last year for the University of Kentucky, and he started five of them, but he at times seemed a step slower than he should have been and never left the kind of in-game impression expected of a senior who, prior to his injury, looked on track for stardom. The most electrifying play of his career — a 30-yard fumble recovery in the waning seconds of UK’s streak-busting victory at Florida in 2018 — seems like a distant memory.
Robinson’s now a “super senior” — parlance for an individual opting into the extra year of eligibility granted by the NCAA under its COVID-19 waiver — and eager to show how much more he has left to give the Cats after two full years of recovery.
“Being hurt, a lot of people forgot about me,” Robinson said. “Just know: I’m still here and I still have a lot to prove. I’m just ready to be out there with my brothers.”
Kentucky’s secondary has become one of its most reliable units in terms of year-over-year performance. Fears stemming from the exodus of NFL types like Mike Edwards and Lonnie Johnson were misplaced, it turns out, since the younger guys under them were emulating their work habits and taking to heart the things their seniors preached on and away from the field.
Their advice and encouragement has extended beyond their time on campus. Darius West, who suffered a similar injury to Robinson’s in 2016, reached out to his former teammate soon after he tore his quad and has helped him stay level-headed through his rehab.
“Taking all that time off and not really ever playing football, getting back into it, I was nervous, I was scared,” Robinson said. “It was more mental than anything.”
Robinson’s now in the unique spot of being a seasoned vet in the DB room — its grayest member, in fact, as a member of the 2016 signing class — who feels a pressure to perform similar to what a newcomer trying to earn their stripes would experience. Defensive coordinator Brad White can recognize Robinson’s improvement from last year to this year, and he expects him to deliver accordingly in 2021.
“He looks so much better, and you can tell with the confidence level he’s playing with right now,” White said. “That’s encouraging to see. He’s making plays, and with every play that he makes it’s adding to that confidence level.”
Robinson was recruited to UK as a cornerback but has most often appeared as the extra DB in UK’s nickel coverage schemes. Kentucky hasn’t shied away from making frequent use of its nickel packages, and could deploy it even more this fall depending on how the health and depth of its outside linebacking group progresses through camp and the early part of the season.
That would give Robinson ample opportunity to show just how far he has come.
“So much about that position is just building the confidence back,” White said. “He’s going to have to be a big contributor for us, there’s no doubt about that.”
Chris Collins, in his first year coaching Kentucky’s defensive backs following the departure of Steve Clinkscale for Michigan, said he “can’t say for sure” if Robinson is where he wants to be two weeks into fall camp, but he’s displaying progress during a time of year that can be monotonous, especially for a guy who has been through his fair share of fall conditioning.
Robinson has enjoyed going up against a revamped offense that has kept UK’s secondary more on its toes. They’re having to stay more active in 11-on-11 drills than in recent years, and they are getting a truer feel for where they’re at in terms of their reaction timing and speed as a defense.
Safety Yusuf Corker, a threat for all-Southeastern Conference recognition this year, said Robinson can go toe-for-toe with anyone on the team in a foot race. That’s as good an endorsement a guy can get after having one of the largest muscle groups in his body compromised, and it’s a testament to UK’s strength-and-conditioning and nutrition staff, who’ve helped Robinson shed pandemic weight that he packed on prior to last season.
The old man in the room is as spry as he has been in a while and eager to make people remember: “I’m still here.”
“It’s been a long road,” Robinson said. “I’m just really excited to get back out there and put that blue and white on for one last season.”
