Wan'Dale Robinson showed Tayvion Robinson a blueprint for success at UK

Wan’Dale Robinson made opponents look silly all season long. When the Kentucky slot receiver broke records by carving up Iowa in the Citrus Bowl, Tayvion Robinson watched from afar, envisioning a day where he could make similar plays for the Wildcats.

“Watching other guys have success, especially in a place that you’re about to come to, does make you envision yourself making those type of plays playing in front of a crowd like this, Big Blue Nation,” Robinson told reporters Thursday morning at Kroger Field. “One thing I wanted to do once I knew I was coming in, is just come here help in any way possible help this team be successful, whether that’s on the field, off the field. Seeing myself, envisioning making plays was was happening a lot.”

Like Wan’Dale, Tayvion Robinson had his fair share of success at his prior stop. During his three seasons at Virginia Tech he caught 113 passes for 1,555 receiving yards and nine touchdowns, earning ACC All-Freshman honors in 2019.

Despite the moderate production, Robinson felt like he could do more for a winning team. Liam Coen’s pro-style offense showed the path for slot receivers to be successful in the SEC and the NFL.

“When I first started talking to Coach Coen, he talked about the NFL offensive terminology. In the recruiting process, there’s a lot of sells and pitches that coaches to give to you. But it’s insane when you actually sit down and watch the film, how much alike his offense is to the Rams,” said Robinson.

“When you see the type of season Wan’Dale just had this year, breaking the single-season reception record, touchdown record, and you see Cooper Kupp win the Triple Crown, it’s like what more do you want? In this type of offense the slot is a very important piece in this offense, and I’m glad I play it and just ready to just be successful.”

Robinson had an opportunity to play at a ton of schools. His phone did not stop ringing once he entered the transfer portal. It did not take long for him to see that the ideal opportunity to succeed was by catching passes for Will Levis at Kentucky.

“When opportunity came knocking, I ran at it.”

Veteran Leadership in the Receivers Room

Wan’Dale brought plenty of flash to the Kentucky football team. While noting the significance of his explosiveness, UK’s coaching staff consistently emphasized the way Wan’Dale went about his work. Like Levis, Wan’Dale did not show up on campus expecting anything to be handed to him.

Tayvion Robinson is bringing that same mindset to Lexington in 2022. Much will be asked of the Virginia Tech transfer, especially in a group full of young wide receivers. He embraces being the new guy in the room that also has a ton of experience.

“I just want to lead by example, be a good role model for those young guys,” Robinson said. “I’m going to let em know how college works, how to prepare properly, play receiver, teach them things that I didn’t know as a freshman, to help them get an advancement in their success. So I just really want to lead by example.”

Robinson Remembers the Belk Bowl

The Kentucky football program looked much different than when Robinson was introduced to the Wildcats at the 2019 Belk Bowl. As he put it, the Wildcats were a four-hour Lynn Bowden show.

“Seeing the change from when I played them in 2019 and seeing what Liam did this year, that guy really knows his stuff,” Robinson said. “He really has these kids’ best interests at heart and he wants to see the most success from all of us.”

A true freshman in the Belk Bowl matchup vs. Kentucky, Robinson caught two passes for 18 yards, including a gain on fourth and eight that moved the chains late in the second half. After he picked up the first down, Yusuf Corker unloaded a monstrous his directly to Robinson’s chest.

“It took all the way to the end of the season to get my ‘welcome to college’ hit. That’s something I’ll always remember.”

A Valuable Punt Returner

There’s one tool this Robinson brings to the table that cannot be overlooked. Last year he was an All-ACC return man that returned one punt to the house. To be an exceptional returner, one must do two things consistently: catch the ball and play with confidence. The first instructions he received from his position coach: be overly confident and fearless.

“You can’t be back there in a position where everybody’s watching you and you’re stuck in your own head, just feel free. You know how to make plays, know what to do to get the ball in hand, the only thing you gotta do is just catch it. That was really the big change from high school to college is catching the ball. That was maybe 20 yards in the air and now it’s 60 yards in the air. Just time, practice preparation and eventually, I got to a point where I was very confident and my team was confident in me that I could make a play every time I was back there.”