Transfer Spotlight – Kentucky WR Wan’Dale Robinson

At CFB Saturdays we recognize that the landscape is always changing in College Football and the undeniable impact transfers have had on our beloved sport in recent history.  Transfers have gone on to make College Football Playoff runs, win the Heisman, the National Championship, and become top NFL Draft Picks (Joe Burrow recently accomplished all of the above).  In the Transfer Spotlight we take a look at the potential impact of top Transfers in 2021.  Today we take a look at Kentucky WR Wan’Dale Robinson who was an all purpose weapon for Nebraska.

An All Purpose Threat

Robinson drew comparisons to Rondale Moore as a recruit, and though he did not have the same level of success as Moore, Nebraska used him as that type of an all purpose weapon. Robinson was used as a receiver out of the slot and moved into the backfield to carry the football at times as well. In 2019, with running back depth an issue, Nebraska played him at running back some games. Robinson is a threat to impact the game in multiple ways, making him difficult for defenses to account for.

Wan’Dale Robinson played in ten games as a true freshman in 2019. He was a threat to run the ball and as a receiver, carrying the ball 88 times for 340 yards and 3 touchdowns, while also catching 40 passes for 453 yards and 2 touchdowns. His best game of the year came against Northwestern when he caught 7 passes for 123 yards and ran 7 times for 44 yards and a touchdown. Robinson was injured down the stretch and missed two of the final three games of the season.

The 2020 season was only eight games long for Nebraska and the quarterback position was unsettled with Adrian Martinez and Luke McCaffrey both in and out of the lineup. Robinson was productive again, but did not build on his freshman campaign. He finished the season with 51 catches for 461 yards and a touchdown, and 46 carries for 240 yards and a touchdown. After the season ended Robinson decided to transfer closer to home and see if a new offense would suit his skill set better.

Wan’Dale Robinson Has Game

At 5’10” 185bs, Wan’Dale Robinson is not particularly big, but he is a compact athlete who runs with more power than his size would indicate. Robinson is a sudden athlete who has excellent short area quickness and change of directions skills. He can make defenders miss in an instant and accelerates back up to speed quickly. Robinson is dangerous with the ball in his hands, creating extra yardage regularly.

Robinson is difficult to account for in the backfield or the slot, because he is a threat as a ball carrier and a reciever. He has the ability to create separation with his quickness and change of direction skills. Robinson catches the ball well and will make tough catches over the middle of the field. His swiss army knife skill set make Robinson a good fit in different offensive schemes and allows him to play different roles depending on need.

Outlook at Kentucky

The Wildcats clearly missed Lynn Bowden’s all purpose ability in 2020. The offense was inconsistent in the passing game and defenses were able to stack the box to attempt to slow down Chris Rodriguez and company on the ground. The team averaged just 121.5 passing yards per game and did not have a big play threat downfield. With key contributors from the offensive linemen moving on to the NFL, Kentucky will need to become a more diverse offensive attack in 2021.

Luckily, Rodriguez is back and will be a proven threat in the backfield. He will provide stability and a starting point for the offense to build around. The offensive line still has talent returning so the Wildcats will have a chance to continue their success on the ground. Kentucky will need to look to younger players to provide weapons on the perimeter and did add Dekel Crowdus in the 2021 recruiting class, who is a big play threat at receiver.

Robinson will be asked to help the receiver group by being a big play threat in the passing game. He will also be able to help keep defenses off balance as a run threat on motion sweeps and misdirection plays. Kentucky has an open quarterback competition with last year’s starter, Terry Wilson, in the transfer portal. Penn State transfer, Will Levis, Joey Gatewood and Beau Allen will all be competing for the starting spot in 2021. Who ever wins the job will need to have weapons at receiver to energize the Wildcats’ passing game.

Kentucky needs big play threats on the perimeter, and is looking for a few players that can help the passing attack. Wan’Dale Robinson has the ability to fit multiple roles in the Kentucky offense and help the offense become more versatile. He was looking for a team that could utilize his abilities and Kentucky was looking for a player that could add explosiveness to their offense. It seems as though both sides got what they were looking for.

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