Jaylon Robinson had a successful debut for UCF last season, finishing second on the team in receiving with 51 catches for 935 yards and five touchdowns.
With Marlon Williams moving on, all eyes are on "Flash" to become the Knights' top receiving threat in 2021.
I caught up with the former Oklahoma transfer at media day this week.
To get things going, I asked about elevating his game in his follow-up season at UCF.
"It's not about the stats," Robinson said. "It's not about the yards or touchdowns. It's about winning a conference championship. Winning more games than we did last year."
Going off on the championship comments, I asked whether it bothered him that Cincinnati was now regarded as the top dog in the American, and the drive to reclaim that spot.
"That's definitely the main goal, winning a conference championship," Robinson said. "Going 1-0 each week. We've worked hard for it. We've been working hard this summer. We've been pushed a ton by Coach Dawson. Pushed a ton in spring by our coaching staff. We just want the hard work to pay off."
I wanted to get his thoughts on how the wide receiver position may be different under Gus Malzahn.
"I feel that we're going to use a lot more players," Robinson said. "We have a lot of utilities and different weapons. People say I'm wide receiver one so they'll lock in on me, but we have four other receivers that can do the same thing I can do. That's going to help in the long run."
I tried to get him to name-drop another receiver or two that he thinks is in store for a big year, but Robinson kept things diplomatic as you could tell he didn't want to exclude anyone.
"There's so many players that have so much potential," Robinson said. "So many names have stood out, I don't want to single anybody out. Each receiver brings something different to the table that can benefit us on the field. I feel we didn't have that trust last year, so that's why you didn't see as many receivers on the field. I think we have that now. Coach Gus is going to utilize every one of us and use us in different ways to benefit the team."
The Darrell Wyatt situation was one of the more curious aspects of this past offseason, obviously happening prior to Josh Heupel following Danny White to Tennessee. In early January, Wyatt was initially linked to a job at Auburn and then there was a report by Football Scoop that he had "cleaned out his desk" at UCF. But it actually turned out that Heupel had fired Wyatt (nothing was ever announced) and Kodi Burns was later hired as his replacement. So Wyatt spent maybe six weeks without a job until he was rehired by Gus Malzahn.
I asked Robinson how having the continuity of working with Wyatt has helped with the overall new staff transition. His response was quite candid.
"After the Heup situation, I feel we distanced apart," Robinson said. "We all felt disconnected especially because Wyatt left, or whatever happened with that. I feel like we expanded away from each other. But after Wyatt came back and everything got rock and rollin' with Gus, I feel that we're the closest we've ever been in the receiver room. I think that's something that we needed."
Has that "together" feeling expanded to the team?
"The whole team is definitely different," Robinson said. "A different energy. We're big on trust now. Count on me. That's on the back of our jerseys. We all do our jobs. That's the main focus. Not doing the most. Not doing what you're not supposed to do. Just do your part so it can help the team in the long run."
Robinson then talked a bit more about what he wants to do to elevate his game.
"Yards after catch," Robinson said. "My YAC. I felt last year I just was trying to secure the ball. I was a little nervous. I didn't want to let the ball get away. I feel more comfortable. Way more comfortable. I know a lot more coverages. I've learned a lot. Being me. I feel like I wasn't me last year even though I did show numbers or whatever. That still wasn't me. Back in high school, I did a lot of exclusive things and that's where I want to get back to. I want to get back to my old ways."
I asked about the NFL players he likes to emulate - which he answered - but I think he continued from the previous question by saying he didn't feel the Heupel system showcased individual route-running ability.
"I think I'm a real great route runner," Robinson said. "I don't think I was able to show that last year just because of our offense and how we ran routes. I think I can this year. Also my quickness. I think I'm similar to Davante Adams with my releases and my footwork. He's big on who I watch. I feel like he has the best releases. He gets off the ball. Stefon Diggs is one of the best route runners. Tyreek Hill is the yards after catch dude. Those are my top three dudes."
Earlier this summer, Robinson spent a week in Hawaii with Dillon Gabriel.
"That's my best friend," Robinson said. "That's my dog. My best friend on the team. I actually took a trip with him to Hawaii this summer. We had some more bonding time. Got to chill, relax, vibe. Also put in a lot of work. Got to meet his friends, his family, see his way of life and learn about his values. It was something different that I was glad I got to see."
More on his Hawaii experience:
"It was crazy. I never knew that different beaches could have different colors of water. So many different colors of water on that island. The other way people live. It was a very great experience just to be away from home as well. The time is different so I wasn't on my phone as much. I couldn't talk to people. It was good to get away."
He also talked about how he's looking forward to a more "normal" season (crossing fingers).
"Last year was hard with COVID," Robinson said. "Social distancing. Not being able to do much. It was fun, but it wasn't fun. We had to take so many precautions. I couldn't be around family. Now that I'm vaccinated and a lot of our teammates are, we can expand more. Full capacity with the fans now. That's something I didn't get to experience. I'm ready to experience that. I can be around my friends and family after the games. My support system. I'm just read to get to it, to be honest."
Asked about hobbies outside of football, Robinson said he's into gaming. Mostly Madden and Call of Duty: Warzone right now. I asked who the best Madden players were. It sounded like Kalia Davis rules them all, then Kaedin Robinson, Quadry Jones and Devunte Dawson in addition to himself.
