Bryan Harsin impressed by transfer wide receiver Demetrius Robertson

Auburn added former Georgia wide receiver Demetrius Robertson from the transfer portal in late July. Despite missing spring practice and getting a late start this fall, the newcomer has impressed first-year head coach Bryan Harsin.

“He’s been studying,” Harsin said during his Saturday press conference. “He’s spent time each evening going back over his notes and preparing himself. I thought it might have taken him a little more time to pick things up, but he’s excelled in the last few days especially.

About Demetrius Robertson

Robertson is a former five-star prospect entering his sixth season of college football and first at Auburn. He started his career at Cal, where he finished his freshman season with 50 receptions for 767 yards and seven touchdowns. Robertson suffered injures in his sophomore season, limiting his production before he transferred to Georgia in 2018.

At Georgia, Robertson struggled with the lingering effects of his past injuries and struggled to regularly crack the rotation at wide receiver. He had 443 yards and three touchdowns in three seasons with the Bulldogs.

“We’ve got to keep working him in,” said Harsin. “He’s probably not as multiple as he could be right now, but as he’s progressing and now we’ve watched him go out there and scrimmage and get live work we can use him in some other positions because I do think he’s picked things up pretty well.”

Robertson chose to use his free year of eligibility granted by the NCAA as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic, giving him an opportunity to regain his form in a new location. He got his first live reps with Auburn this weekend during the first scrimmage of the new season.

“He was good tonight. I think he had several catches in there,” said Harsin. “There was one over the middle. He can roll. There was one he got the chance to catch and run with. He’s picked things up well offensively.

2021 offensive outlook

Auburn loses two of its top targets from 2020 with the departure of Seth Williams and Anthony Schwartz in the NFL Draft. The Tigers’ top returning receivers from 2020 are tight end John Samuel Shenker and running back Tank Bigsby, who both finished with less than 100 yards.

The new offense, under new offensive coordinator Mike Bobo, returns junior quarterback Bo Nix and adds LSU transfer T.J. Finley to a potential two quarterback system. Bigsby returns as the centerpiece of the backfield after running for 834 yards and five touchdowns as a freshman.