Former University of Central Florida wide receiver Jaylon Robinson has officially made his commitment. On Sunday afternoon, Robinson announced that he would be committing to the University of Ole Miss. Robinson’s final destinations were reportedly down to Tennessee, Ole Miss, Miami, and TCU.
“My heart told me that I have decided to be an Ole Miss Rebel,” Robinson wrote in a personal blog post for Sports Illustrated on Sunday. “From the start, my heart was telling me, from the first visit, that I was going to be an Ole Miss Rebel.”
Robinson also spoke about Tennessee in his Sports Illustrated blog.
“I am going to compete always,” Robinson said. “Every school threw a punch at me. TCU did being the hometown school. Tennessee is where my old coaches are at. Those bonds are something I feel like will never break, but I felt like I had to take the next step forward for myself. Tennessee was probably the hardest because I think everyone thought I would go there just because I was familiar with the coaching staff because of our good bond. I wanted to try something new and push myself to be. I knew that system but wanted do something different.”
To the Sip#Comitted pic.twitter.com/q2kNjcgSDP
— JayFla⚡️h (@jayf1ash) May 15, 2022
Tennessee Recruiting: Five-Star Receiver Visits Knoxville, Takes In Tennessee Baseball Game
After entering the transfer portal on Apr. 20, Robinson first took a visit to Ole Miss in late April before visiting the Tennessee program from May 6-8.
“They had the best presentation for me with how they plan on utilizing me and putting me in different situations,” Robinson wrote in his blog post. “Just using me, kind of like how they used Elijah Moore, I would say as like a high school player. Where you have fun—lining up in the backfield and all of the crazy things you want to enjoy. Lane (Kiffin) said I was the missing piece for them to be more explosive.”
Robinson had a breakout season in 2020 under now-Tennessee head coach Josh Heupel with UCF. The 5-foot-10, 170-pound receiver totaled 979 yards and six touchdowns on 55 receptions in his one year under the Heupel offense.
Jaylon Robinson, a native of Fort Worth, Texas, was a three-star recruit in the 2018 class and spent his first year at the University of Oklahoma. After one season with the Sooners, Robinson would transfer to UCF but was not eligible for one season due to the transfer rules at the time. Robinson had a breakout season returning to the field under Heupel in 2020, however, saw his 2021 season with the Knights cut short due to a mid-season injury forcing him to miss six games.
Despite missing out on Robinson, Tennessee has already picked up a receiver loaded with potential from the portal this off-season. On Mar. 3, former USC (Cali.) wide receiver and former five-star prospect Bru McCoy announced that he would be transferring to Tennessee for the 2022 season. While Tennessee could have been a great place for Jaylon Robinson, the Vols will still have ammunition in the receiving department next season. McCoy and returning receiving leader Cedric Tillman are both 6-foot-3 receivers for the outside, and Tennessee’s coaches raved this season about the improvement of Jalin Hyatt in the slot.
