Top RB Roderick Robinson Decommits From UCLA, Flips to Georgia
A few months after pledging himself to the Bruins, one of the top ball-carriers in the nation is instead heading to Athens.
Class of 2023 running back Roderick Robinson II decommitted from UCLA football on Monday, changing his commitment to Georgia. Robinson, who committed to the Bruins on May 26, took an official visit with the Bulldogs this past weekend and witnessed their blowout win over Auburn.
"After much prayer and discussion with my family, I have decided to decommit from UCLA and commit to @ugafootball," Robinson posted on Twitter. "I am so grateful to UCLA and the many other schools for offering me an opportunity to further extend my education and my football career. However, I felt that UGA was the right fit for me. I will be officially shutting down my recruitment. Go Dawgs!"
With Robinson no longer set to join UCLA next season, the Bruins have lost their top-ranked recruit for the current cycle.
There had been palpable buzz of Robinson flipping his commitment as of late, considering he scheduled official visits with Georgia and Texas A&M well after choosing UCLA in the spring. Robinson went to College Station on Sept. 16 and Athens on Oct. 7, inserting the two SEC powers directly into the race for his services.
Robinson's father also posted a seemingly pointed tweet back on Sept. 5, two days after UCLA drew an all-time low attendance at the Rose Bowl in their season opener against Bowling Green.
"Fan bases are also important to recruits," Roderick Robinson Sr. wrote. "No kid wants to play in empty stadiums. I don't care who the opponent is or what the weather is like, the fans have to show up. Fans play an important role in recruiting too. Stop blaming just the coaches."
Robinson may be playing at Lincoln High School (CA) in San Diego, but he is originally from the South. Georgia and Texas A&M were not among the six finalists Robinson announced back in May, though, with Arizona, Auburn, Cal, Oregon and Tennessee finishing as runner-ups the first time around.
As a junior, Robinson rushed for 1,273 yards and 17 touchdowns on 185 carries across 11 games while playing through an injury. He officially visited UCLA in May, committed a few days later and made the public announcement live on CBS Sports HQ not long after that.
Since the 2022 high school season began, Robinson has ascended to new heights. The 6-foot-1, 230-pound power back already has 1,657 yards and 24 touchdowns on 126 carries in eight games, rising through the local and national rankings as a result.
When he committed to the Bruins, Robinson was a three-star prospect, according to the 247Sports Composite. Robinson ascended to four-star status within the next few weeks, and he has since gone from the No. 28 running back in the nation to No. 15.
Robinson is a consensus four-star recruit, and he currently ranks No. 270 in the country, No. 18 in California and the No. 1 running back in the state.
UCLA's recruiting class dropped from No. 80 to No. 90 in the nation as a result of Robinson's departure, according to the 247Sports Composite. Arizona State is the only Power Five program to rank below the Bruins at the moment, and both schools only have six 2023 commits in-house.
Georgia, on the other hand, now has the No. 2 class in the country to go along with the 2021 national championship trophy.
The Bruins still have one four-star recruit under their belt – in-state linebacker Tre Edwards, who also committed back in late May. Since then, UCLA's recruiting luck has taken a turn for the worse, losing out on the majority of their remaining targets and only adding three new three-star prospects.
This is all coming as UCLA is on its hottest start in nearly two decades. The Bruins haven't lost a game since Oct. 30, 2021, and they are currently on pace to challenge for a spot in either the College Football Playoff or Rose Bowl game.
Running back Zach Charbonnet has played a major role in UCLA's 6-0 start with his 151.6 scrimmage yards per game, but he is expected to leave for the NFL Draft in the offseason.
Robinson's fate to be Charbonnet's heir apparent has apparently dissipated, leaving coach Chip Kelly and running backs coach DeShaun Foster back at square one in their pursuit of the team's next elite workhorse.
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PHOTO COURTESY OF RODERICK ROBINSON II/TWITTER
