Youngstown Edge Brian Robinson Camps at Kentucky to Kickoff Explosive Summer

Learn the name Brian Robinson. Before the summer ends he will be one of the most sought after 2024 recruits in the country. The Youngstown native started his summer camp tour at Kentucky and he left Lexington pleased with the experience.

“I really liked it. It was amazing to me. I got a lot of work, a lot of coaching,” he tells KSR.

Robinson spent more than two hours Tuesday working with Kentucky defensive coordinator Brad White. The two are not strangers. White and Robinson spend quite a bit of time talking ball on the phone. The pass-rushing expert’s in-person advice to Robinson was simple.

“He loves everything — he loves my explosiveness, he loves my speed. He was just telling me to not think so much, just go with the flow and react,” Robinson shares. “I get a little excited sometimes.”

The Kentucky coaching staff was certainly excited to have Robinson on campus. Already a four-star recruit, the 6-foot-4, 230-pound edge is a four-star prospect, ranked as the No. 202 player in the 2024 recruiting class by the the On3 Consensus, a complete and equally weighted industry-generated average that utilizes all four major recruiting media companies. The talented athlete has only scratched the surface of his potential.

Four-star 2024 edge Brian Robinson working against 2023 UK commit Malachi Wood. pic.twitter.com/16bGWZ0OAh

— Nick Roush (@RoushKSR) June 9, 2022

Robinson and the Kentucky-Youngstown Connection

Vince Marrow serves as the point man in Robinson’s recruitment for Kentucky. Unlike some other coaches, the Big Dog cuts through the BS in conversations with the talented young prospect.

“He doesn’t really sell (Kentucky),” says Robinson. “One of the things that I love about him is that he makes it very clear that if I want to be developed, if I want to be the best, if I want to play in the SEC in one of the top conferences, he doesn’t sugarcoat anything. He shoots directly from the hip with everything that he tells me. He doesn’t promise anything. I love that. He holds me accountable on the field and off the field. Me being from Youngstown, he holds me to a higher standard because we have the hometown connection.”

Marrow holds Robinson to a higher standard, while also busting his chops. “I get that all the time. I get it even more because my father’s an Ursuline guy.” Ursuline is the rival of Cardinal Mooney, Marrow and Mark Stoops’ alma mater.

Kentucky Offered Early

This week Robinson’s offer sheet grew to 20. Kentucky was the second team to join the long list back in March.

“I remember it like yesterday,” he says. “I was amazed because, of course Kentucky was one of my favorite schools. It helps with the hometown ties with Coach Marrow, the Stoops brothers, Lynn Bowden. My coach really likes the school also. It was amazing.”

Brian Robinson has kept close tabs on Kentucky throughout the Stoops era. The dramatic turnaround has been eye-opening.

“Kentucky is rich in basketball history. It wasn’t really known for football. Coach Stoops, Coach Marrow and the rest of the staff, they changed the whole culture at Kentucky where they’ve made Kentucky a football contender and that’s amazing to me.”

Marrow is not the only Youngstown native recruiting Robinson. Steve Clinkscale leads Michigan’s recruiting efforts, while Deland McCullough, who played against Robinson’s father in high school, has taken the lead for Notre Dame. Following his trip to Kentucky, Robinson will camp at Tennessee, Georgia, Alabama, Pitt, Virginia Tech, Notre Dame, Illinois and Penn State. More scholarship offers will likely follow.

“I like the competition. I like the work,” he says. “Iron sharpens iron. I appreciate the competition.”

Passer Turned Pass Rusher

It’s not just the laundry list of high-profile camps that lead me to believe the young prospect will blow up this summer. Robinson has only played defense for a year. Prior to transferring to Austintown Fitch, he was a varsity starting quarterback as a freshman. In his sophomore film Robinson does not look like a newcomer to the position.

Also a basketball player, Robinson is an athlete that moves well in space. With an 82-inch wingspan, he can easily create separation from his blockers. He uses his hands well, but in time he will become more aggressive and play lower to win the leverage game. A highly motivated young man, everybody who’s anybody will be recruiting the rising star. Fortunately for Kentucky, Vince Marrow got the Wildcats’ foot in the door early in the recruiting process.