Junior college defensive tackle Dejon Robinson has already visited Tennessee’s campus a couple times, but he still didn’t have a scholarship offer from the Vols. That changed over the weekend.
Robinson, who now attends ASA College in New York, tweeted out that he picked up an offer from Tennessee over the weekend. The Vols’ new tight ends coach, Joe Osovet, was the one who extended the offer to him. Osovet used to coach at ASA and has plenty of ties to JUCO prospects across the country.
Blessed and Honored to receive an offer for The University Of Tennessee? @CoachOsovet @Vol_Football #GoVols #All4AROD pic.twitter.com/hk8i4zIeMX
— Dejon Robinson (@dejonRob) March 1, 2020
“We were talking on the phone, and he was saying he loved my film and I would be a good fit for their defense because of my size and speed,” Robinson told me in a recent interview. “(Tennessee) would not only develop me as a player but also as a man.”
The 6-foot-3, 288-pound lineman originally from Maryland added that he was “so, so happy” to get the offer from Tennessee, his third Power Five offer since he committed to play for ASA College.
“All I can say is God’s plans are 100,” Robinson stated.
Robinson originally played for Quince Orchard High School in Gaithersburg, Maryland before choosing to play at ASA for the 2020 season. Robinson’s plans are to spend one year at ASA and then have three years of eligibility to give to an FBS program.
“My goals at ASA are to be able to focus on and off the field and take care of business and continue my career to a four-year school,” Robinson said. “(ASA) was just the right fit for me. They have experienced coaches that would get me right, and they will always keep everything 100.”
Robinson has already been to Tennessee’s campus a couple times and has built up a rapport with UT’s coaches. He plans on making another trip to Knoxville sometime in the spring or summer as well.
The JUCO defensive lineman has another interesting tie to Tennessee’s recruiting efforts as well.
Robinson is the older brother of borderline five-star defensive end Demeioun Robinson in the 2021 cycle. The younger Robinson is a big target for Tennessee in the 2021 class, and now both Robinson brothers hold offers from the Vols.
Though Dejon Robinson is not ranked as of yet, he’s getting attention from several Power Five programs and has offers from Maryland and Georgia Tech to go along with his offer from Tennessee. He’s picked up all three of those offers over the last month, and more teams are sure to follow.
Robinson is somewhat familiar with Tennessee, and he sees the upward trajectory of the program after the 2019 season.
“They’re a program that’s raising up to become the best,” Robinson said of Tennessee. “A school that cares about their players and academics.”
Tennessee will have a need for defensive linemen in their 2021 class. Barring any redshirts this upcoming season, the Vols are set to lose seven defensive linemen to graduation after the 2020 season, leaving UT with around seven or eight scholarship defensive linemen after this upcoming season.
Adding some more big bodies to the D-line is imperative in the 2021 class for the Vols, and bringing in someone with an instant impact ability like Robinson would make sense.
Robinson’s stock will likely only continue to rise over the coming months, and Tennessee will continue to pursue him and his younger brother throughout the 2021 cycle.
