Texas A&M wasn't a hard sell for Judson defensive end Alton Robinson, who committed to the Aggies a few days after completing his junior year in June.
To hear Robinson tell it, he didn't stress much over his college decision. Robinson liked A&M's "prestige" as a university, he said, and relished the opportunity to play football in the Southeastern Conference.
"A&M showed as much interest in me as I showed in them," Robinson said. "It isn't like I'm just looking at SEC schools. There are a lot of good schools in the Big 12, Big 10. All the conferences have good schools, but the SEC is a powerhouse conference.
Robinson, who had 15 sacks and 20 tackles for losses as a junior, chose A&M over such schools as Texas, Michigan, Baylor and Oklahoma State.
"The SEC was definitely a factor and the fact that I'm going to still get to play in Texas," Robinson said, responding to a question about why he opted to cast his lot with the Aggies.
Robinson was the second player from the Greater San Antonio area to commit to A&M this summer, joining Steele defensive end Mark Jackson. Robinson is the latest in a long line of outstanding Judson defensive players since the Rockets became a state power in the early 1980s.
"I actually saw Mark when I went up to my visit up there," Robinson said. "We had a good time and talked about playing together at A&M and trying to become Texas legends. When it comes down to it, you can't really play for anybody else but yourself and the team you play with. You can't worry about who's going to be up there and things like that."
Robinson, 6-foot-3 and 233 pounds, has grown an inch and put on 15 pounds since helping Judson advance to the Class 6A Division I state semifinals last year. The Rockets started the season 1-3 and were 4-4 after a 23-22 loss to district rival Steele before they caught fire. Judson rebounded with six consecutive games and came within a few plays of making the state finals for the 12th time in school history before falling to Cypress Ranch 38-31.
"We took a lot of steps in the right direction last year," Robinson said. "We weren't really playing together at the beginning of the season. Everybody was doing their own thing. Once we started noticing that if we played together we'd be a better team, everybody's attitude started changing.
"We started realizing that when we played Steele in that district game. We were right there. That really woke us up to how good we were, and if we played together how good we could really be. Bringing that mentality to this team, I think we'll be really good."
Quick, agile and explosive, Robinson wreaks havoc with his pass-rushing skills and ability to burst into the backfield off the edge and blow up plays before they develop.
"I like to get in the backfield," Robinson said. "Making plays in the backfield is a big thing, because everybody sees that, versus when they cross over that line, it's a different kind of tackle. It's kind of my thing, making plays in the backfield. What makes me go so hard is I remember growing up, when I wasn't as big as I am now. People said I couldn't do it, and look at me now."
Robinson chuckled when he recalled what he looked like before he started playing organized football as a seventh-grader.
"I was a little scrawny kid back in the day," Robinson said. "I always played in the street and everybody I grew up with thought I wouldn't make it. That's been my motivation ever since then. I remember when I was going to Woodlake (Middle School). Everybody was benching 115 (pounds), and I couldn't get it. I'll never forget that."
Robinson runs a 4.8 in the 40-yard dash and ran an electronically timed 22-flat in the 200 meters in the spring. That's moving for a big guy.
"He's so tall and so big, and he can run," Judson defensive coordinator Ricky Matt said. "His speed is unbelievable for his size. He's very explosive and he plays hard. He's also very smart and understands the game very well.
"His technique is getting better. He free-lances every now and then, but he's maturing and getting more disciplined and playing with more technique. He's going to be a really good one."
Robinson got moved up to the varsity early in his sophomore year and played outside linebacker that season when Sean McAuliffe, now the Rockets' head coach, was the team's defensive coordinator.
"When I was a sophomore, I hated every day Coach Mac told me I was going to play D-line," Robinson said. "I loved playing linebacker."
Robinson was moved to defensive end last year and lined up in a three-point stance most of the time, but there were plays when he was in a stand-up position and was more a linebacker than a down lineman.
"For our scheme, he's hand on the ground 95 percent of the time," McAuliffe said. "We've got some things in the works that we'll use this year that take advantage of stuff he can do. He's good enough of an athlete and has a high enough football IQ that you can do anything with him."
Robinson's junior season paralleled Judson's steady climb last year.
"What really got him up going is he had a great year, and in the playoffs his game went up a whole other level," McAuliffe said. "That's what you want to be. Every day, you want to take steps to get better. We're not trying to win a state championship on Aug. 10. We want to win one on Dec. 18. He's the type of kid who bought into exactly what we're about. The good Lord has blessed him with unbelievable upside.
"He's one of those kids that the game comes very natural to him. He's extremely explosive. His first step is as good as I've been in 19 years of being a D-line coach. People talk about offensive players having ‘it.' He's got it as a defensive player. He explodes out of his stance, he's got a high football IQ and he plays the game the way it's supposed to be played. He plays with a chip on his shoulder and he's explosive as a tackler. He's a package."
Robinson expressed confidence that Judson has the experience and talent to win a seventh state championship this season.
"I want to have one great season with my guys here before I go off to college," he said. "I believe that our defense can be better than it was last year. It won't be enough for us to just get to the state game. We want to win it all."
Robinson credited Matt, formerly defensive coordinator at Reagan before moving to Judson last year, for molding a defensive unit that improved steadily throughout the season.
"One thing that he always says is that it's not all about talent," Robinson said. "Just play with effort and make plays. That's what he brought to this team, and I appreciate that. Running to the ball, things like that. You don't have to be a fantastic athlete give good effort. Just hustle and make plays. I love him to death."
Judson and Steele, who clash on Oct. 23 at Lehnhoff Stadium, are expected to battle for the District 25-6A title again this season.
"Another thing that keeps us going is that we know we're going to have a target on our back because of who we are," Robinson said. "I would love to leave my mark. I just want us to set the bar high for the younger guys that come behind us. That's the biggest thing to me."
