Brian Robinson Jr. on 2021 Campaign: “I think coming back helped me tremendously"

Robinson elected to return for his fifth season after spending the majority of his four previous years serving in a backup capacity.

MOBILE, Ala. — At the hump day of Senior Bowl week, Alabama running back Brian Robinson Jr. spoke with the media for one of his final media appearances as a college athlete.

Having played for five years with the Crimson Tide, Robinson has gained a lot of experience under Nick Saban and his staff. Having to play against some of the best defenders in college football on a daily basis in practice has helped him develop from a local player that sat on the bench his freshman season all the way into Alabama's starting running back.

Robinson said that his decision to return for his fifth season stemmed from wanting to continue that development.

“At the time, I just felt like that was the best decision for me to try to come back to school and create value for myself and just create more film and show people that I can do a lot more,” Robinson said. “That was the biggest deal for me, so that went into my decision to come back.”

In his fifth year, Robinson rushed for 1,343 yards and 14 touchdowns. With 271 carries on the year, Robinson averaged 5.0 yards per carry. Compare that to his senior year, when Robinson played second-fiddle to fellow running back Najee Harris: 483 yards and six touchdowns.

Robinson recognizes that his decision to return ultimately paid off for him in droves, and even added that Harris played an integral role in his development.

“I think coming back helped me tremendously on and off the field,” Robinson said. “Just being able to continue to grow and mature and also being able to play multiple snaps and have that experience in big-time games and having to play at a consistency level — it’s a lot of things that went into that year that just kind of helped me grow and prepare myself for now.

“The biggest thing I took away from [Harris] was just his availability. Being prepared, staying ready and just being himself. I’ve seen Najee do those type of things for four years and I wasn’t surprised to see him do it last year.”

On Tuesday, Robinson took part in his first NFL-style practice. Alongside Crimson Tide defensive lineman Phidarian Mathis, the Alabama duo are being coached by the staff of the Detroit Lions on the American team.

While many might assume that the practices at the college and NFL level are run very differently, Robinson begs to differ.

“If I had to compare to the NFL-type practice that we had yesterday, it’s pretty similar as far as the physicality and the speed and the enthusiasm,” Robinson said. “Practice at Alabama is just pretty much kinda routine. We gotta show up every day and it’s just more physical and just more periods and it’s longer and there’s more time just put into it.”

Gallery: Brian Robinson Jr. at Senior Bowl Week

Senior Bowl

Senior Bowl

Senior Bowl

Senior Bowl