December 14, 2007
Pete Sampson
IrishIllustrated.com Editor
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In the film room: Trevor Robinson
Talk about it in The Four Horsemen Lounge
Trevor Robinson experienced the best and worst of recruiting.
And the four-star offensive lineman from Elkhorn, Neb., endured it all twice.
But finally on Thursday night during an in-home visit with Notre Dame head coach Charlie Weis, Robinson put an end to his rollercoaster recruitment, selecting the Irish over Nebraska. Robinson originally committed to the in-state Cornhuskers in April before backing off that pledge in July to take a second look at Notre Dame and Michigan.
"It was fun while it lasted," Robinson said. "There were times when I would have just liked to flip a coin and pick a school to be done with it because it got a little hectic. I got to meet a lot of good people.
"The hardest thing for me was that unfortunately I committed two separate times to two separates schools. The hardest part by far is calling the other coaches that you've built relationships with and telling them you're not coming."
Robinson did that for a final time with Nebraska after Weis' visit to give Notre Dame its 22nd verbal commitment, ninth pledge from a Rivals100 member and second early enrollee candidate. Robinson will start classes at Notre Dame in January and plans to room with Sean Cwynar, the other Irish early enrollee.
"That's something I wanted to do for a lot of reasons," Robinson said. "It's getting a jump on the playbook before the other guys get here. It's a smoother transition where I'm not getting everything at fall camp for the first time."
It's also a way to avoid blowback from local fans about turning down Nebraska, not that it was Robinson's main motivation.
"Yeah, I hadn't really thought about that although I'm sure it's going to take some of that away," he said. "It's hard because that's the pick that's really easy. I watched them every week; I was a fan. But I wasn't the die-hard fan like a lot of people around here."
Robinson met with his future teammates on last weekend's official visit during the football banquet. Guard Eric Olson hosted Robinson. He spent plenty of time with Mike Golic Jr. and his host, Dan Wenger. The more interaction Robinson had with Notre Dame's recruiting class, the more he could see himself fitting in with the Irish.
"The visit went really well," Robinson said. "We had a good time. I'd been thinking about (committing) before the visit."
While Weis and offensive line coach John Latina played big parts in delivering Robinson to the Notre Dame depth chart it was recruiting coordinator Rob Ianello that made sure the lines of communication remained open after the offensive lineman's first commitment.
"I had the most consistent contact with coach Ianello," Robinson said. "At the same time, when I talked to coach Latina it was a really good conversation. Coach Weis was obviously a bit part of it too."
Robinson said Notre Dame projects him at offensive guard, although at 6-foot-6, 304 pounds he's open to playing tackle, the position where he thrived for Elkhorn this season.
Wherever he lines up, Robinson can't wait to get started in South Bend.
"Really it's just about being on my own," he said. "It's not like I don't like being at home, I'm just ready for something new and to do something different."
