Colorado's early scholarship offer catches Ray Robinson off guard
While driving up US-36 to attend the Buffaloes' recruiting event last Sunday, Ray Robinson had no idea he was about to pick up his first scholarship offer. After all, he has yet to begin his junior year at Highlands Ranch (Colo.) High School.
“It is unbelievable, I am still in shock,” Ray Robinson said on Tuesday morning. “I had no idea the offer was coming. Even when [head] coach [Mike] Mac[Intyre] said they were offering, it didn't feel real because I didn't expect to get it this early.
“He said he thinks I am a great athlete and he thinks I could fit in and help the program. They really want to lock-down Colorado, so they wanted to be the first to offer, which I agree with, because I think the first offer is very important to any player.”
Robinson lettered on varsity as a freshman, and then he earned All-Colorado and first-team all-conference honors after leading the Falcons with 95 tackles as a sophomore.
The scouting report on Robinson is that he covers the field well, from sideline-to-sideline, and also packs a punch with his hits. The son of Highlands Ranch head coach Mark Robinson, Ray also has good football IQ.
Robinson already stands 6-foot-2, 205-pounds. Depending how his body develops in the next two years, he will either project as a safety or outside linebacker for the next level.
“Last year was my first year playing safety and I like it a lot, it just felt right. But I could also see myself playing outside linebacker down the road,” he said. “I want to gain some weight this off-season but I am mostly focused on getting faster because I think speed is key.”
Washington, Oregon State, Oregon, UNLV and Northwestern are some of the other colleges that have shown early interest in Robinson. While he does not plan to make a commitment until next spring or summer, a couple programs have already caught his eye.
“CU definitely stands out to me. Just growing up in Colorado and always being around it, I love CU. And then I also like Oregon a lot. I think Oregon is sweet,” Robinson said. “My dad sent one of his players to Oregon and he talked to me about how much he loved it up there.”
“CU is amazing, especially now with all the new facilities, they are absolutely wonderful. Everything at CU is top of the line now,” he added. “I was talking to Dante Sparaco and he said CU has the best facilities in the country, and he has been to a lot of schools, including SEC schools and Big Ten schools. Seeing what CU has to offer on Sunday definitely impressed me a lot. I fell in love while I was up there.”
The academics Colorado offers also impressed Robinson. He wants to study Business in college.
“While I was up at CU, I was talking to one of the kids that is actually in the Business program there right now. He told me it is very competitive but it is very worth it because it will give you an advantage once you get out in the real word,” Robinson said. “They have a very good Business program at CU, so that sounded good to me.”
Mullen defensive standout Adrian Jackson, Valor Christian quarterback Blake Stenstrom, Pomona offensive lineman Ezekiel Creps, Legend safety Chad Muma, Pomona running back Max Borghi, Arapahoe offensive lineman Blake Carette and Pomona quarterback Ryan Marquez were among the other Class of 2018 in-state prospects in attendance at the Buffaloes' recruiting event last Sunday.