Jammie Robinson Breaks Down Why Mike Norvell is Turning Around Florida State
It's been over two years since future NFL Draft selection Jammie Robinson entered the NCAA Transfer Portal to explore his options elsewhere. It didn't take long for Florida State head coach Mike Norvell and other members of the coaching staff to reach out. From there, the rest is history.
Robinson developed into a two-year starter for the Seminoles, leading the team in tackles and earning first-team All-ACC honors in consecutive seasons. He became an instrumental voice for the defense on and off the field, bringing the type of impact that will be remembered over the coming years.
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The Georgia native is coming off a 2022 season where he recorded a career-high 99 tackles, five tackles for loss, one sack, five pass deflections, one fumble recovery, and one interception. He started all 13 games for Florida State and played the most snaps on the team. That just shows how much the coaching staff relied on him to make an impact.
Over the last couple of months, Robinson has been preparing for the professional level by participating in the Reese's Senior Bowl, NFL Combine, and FSU's Pro Day. In between, he's been doing a variety of media appearances.
Recently, Robinson spent some time on the 'Gramlich & Mac Lain' show to discuss his career at Florida State and more. Early in the interview, he went into detail about how the Seminoles utilized him on defense while noting that he was 'always committed' to the plan.
"When I got here they had a great blueprint for me just being able to play the nickel position. Blitz off the edge, covering the slot, play both safety positions, I was sold on that because once again, I love to play football and I love being a student of the game," Robinson said to Eric Mac Lain. "Honestly, that was why I chose Florida State just because closer to home, the plan that Mike Norvell and my defensive coordinator Adam Fuller had for me. I was always committed to that."
Following a 5-7 finish during his first season in Tallahassee, Robinson had the opportunity to test the NFL waters alongside Jermaine Johnson. Instead, he chose to come back to Florida State for another year to develop into a better leader and guide the program to success.
"I didn't like that taste in my mouth so I was just like I've got to come back for my senior year. Be more of a leader and just help change the program. I did small things, got the guys, we watched film at my crib," Robinson said. "Just small little things, trying to be a big bro. It took some time just because I had to gain the respect from my teammates and my coaches. I felt like going into my second year here it was easy for me to just go ahead and take the throne and just be that leader. That's one thing I made a change in, being a leader, being like a brother's keeper. If someone needs to talk, I'm always there for him. I felt like that made the season go different."
Since an 0-4 start to the 2021 season, Florida State has compiled a 15-6 overall record. That includes a 10-3 campaign this past season that included victories against Miami, Florida, LSU, and Oklahoma.
Evidenced by the steps in the right direction, Robinson believes that Norvell is the man to keep leading the Seminoles back to the top of college football. His attention to detail and consistency with his mindset is something that Robinson has tried to adopt into his own approach.
"Honestly, just coach Norvell, how he is as a person and then as a coach. He's going to be the same every day and that's being a person and a coach," Robinson said. "He don't be no different. He's always focusing on the small things. That's one thing I learned when I got here. There'd be times, we're getting up and walking in the building. How you walk in the building is how the way your day is going to go throughout the whole day. If you coming in with a mindset that's not good that's going to affect your whole day.
"I feel like every day he's coming in the same. That's one thing I take on from him," Robinson continued. "If you're not feeling good, you better feel good and wear that smile on your face. It's a real program I can honestly say, you're not going to get nothing fake. When you get it here, it's what you see. For all the recruits that come through and they say tour of duty and how the meetings are set up, that's going to be every day. It's not going to be any different. Just the consistency of how the coaches coach us."
Robinson has spent time around multiple coaching staffs at the college level after originally beginning his career in the SEC at South Carolina. Looking back on his experiences, he credits Norvell's involvement in practices and passion as aspects that make him different from other coaches.
"I've always been around tough coaches, he's that for sure, smart for sure. I just can say his in-practice intensity. I feel like he's more involved with every position. He helps out with the offensive coordinator, he helps out with the offensive calls," Robinson said. "Then you'll see in one period, he's in the back of us and telling us to sprint to the ball. He's going to be that hands on coach for real. He's going to be every drill. That's what I can say. He's the guy that's going to be there for everyone, he really cares. He's definitely passionate and I'm passionate too. The passionate sides get the best of us but it's all love though."
The 5-foot-11, 191-pound safety is trending on draft boards and is scheduled to take top-30 visits to Las Vegas, Green Bay, New England, and Arizona. There are less than three weeks remaining until the NFL Draft gets underway.
During his two years at Florida State, Robinson totaled 183 tackles, 12 tackles for loss, one sack, eight pass deflections, two forced fumbles, and five interceptions in 25 appearances. He was the first back to back first-team All-ACC selection for the Seminoles in the defensive backfield since Jalen Ramsey in 2014-15.
Check out Mac Lain's full interview with Robinson below.
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