7/15/2022 football Edit

Decision Day Preview: LB Ta’Mere Robinson

Dylan Callaghan-Croley • Happy Valley Insider

Editor

A day after adding four-star LB Tony Rojas to their 2023 recruiting class, the Penn State Nittany Lions will look to add another top linebacker target. This time in the form of four-star, Rivals250 prospect Ta’Mere Robinson out of Brashear in Pittsburgh (PA).

Not a Subscriber? Join us With Our FREE 30-Day Premium Trial

Three schools will have their hats on the table for Robinson on Friday, Miami (FL), Penn State, and Virginia Tech.

Robinson is one of Penn State’s longest-standing targets in the 2023 recruiting cycle as the Nittany Lions first offered the 6-foot-3, 220-pound linebacker back in April of 2020. Since being offered, he has been a priority target of James Franklin and his coaching staff.

Early and quickly, Robinson would establish a strong relationship with then Penn State defensive coordinator and linebackers coach Brent Pry as well as defensive recruiting coordinator and cornerbacks coach Terry Smith. Those relationships in Robinson’s recruitment was a driving force in the Nittany Lions’ being either near the top or the top team on his list throughout his recruitment.

When Brent Pry left this past December for Virginia Tech, it certainly shook up Robinson’s recruitment a bit. Had Pry stayed in Happy Valley, Robinson may be long committed by now. That of course was not the case.

Over the last few months, Robinson has had to build a relationship with new defensive coordinator and linebackers coach Manny Diaz. The two formerly had no established relationship as Diaz during his time as head coach of the Miami Hurricanes did not offer Robinson. But for the Nittany Lions, that has been one of the major focus points over the past seventh months, establishing that relationship.

When it comes to Virginia Tech, the Hokies had been recruiting Robinson under former head coach Justin Fuente, offering him last September. Once Brent Pry took over in Blacksburg, the Hokies chances of landing Robisn increased dramatically. The relationship Pry and Robinson created during his time in Happy Valley remained strong with Pry’s move. Robison would go onto take an official visit to Virginia Tech last month.

The third and final team in contention on Friday afternoon is the Miami Hurricanes. Miami is a rather late entrant in Robinson’s recruitment with Mario Cristobal’s staff only offering him this past February. The Hurricanes would quickly become a team of interest for Robinson as he made an unofficial visit in April before taking an official visit on June 3.

Final Prediction:

I’ve had a future cast in for Robinson to land with Penn State for quite a while and while Miami and Virginia Tech made strong pushes, neither ended up changing that future cast. With that, Penn State remains my pick for Robinson.

Landing Robinson would give Penn State a terrific duo of linebackers in the 2023 recruiting class with room to potentially add another in the future. Entering Friday, the Nittany Lions hold 18 commitments in their 2023 recruiting cycle which ranks seventh in the Rivals Team Recruiting rankings. The addition of Robinson would be the fourth for the program in the last week after they added CB Elliott Washington, RB London Montgomery, and of course LB Tony Rojas.