Texas A&M and Baylor may not play one another in football anymore, but the Aggies still put one over the Bears Saturday, hiring defensive tackles coach Elijah Robinson away from Matt Rhule's staff.
Robinson, 32, spent the early part of his career at his alma mater, Penn State. Originally a football player himself, he was forced to retire after a neck injury during spring practice in 2006. His career really took off, however, when he moved to Philadelphia and joined Rhule's staff at Temple in 2014.
Responsible for the defensive line, Robinson helped Rhule turn the Owl program around, coaching six All-AAC selections during his three seasons at Temple. During his final season at Temple, the Owls ranked 25th in the nation against the run, giving up a little more than 130 yards a game. Perhaps more impressively, the team racked up a total of 40 sacks for the season.
When Rhule moved to Baylor before last season, he brought Robinson with him. The Bears defense was unimpressive last season, giving up nearly 460 yards a game as they went 1-11. But Robinson's defensive line corps was shorthanded much of the season, losing key players to injury early in the year.
In a conversation with AggieYell.com, Kevin Lonnquist of SicEmSports.com said Robinson had been given a tough assignment in 2017 but had shown himself to be energetic and capable. On the recruiting front, Robinson had a role in obtaining six members of Baylor's 2017-18 signing class, including several from the Houston area.
AY analysis
Robinson doesn't come with the pedigree some of the other coaches on Jimbo Fisher's first staff at A&M, but his reputation has risen quickly in the coaching community. His outstanding work at Temple got him noticed, and the Aggies get another young, ambitious coach who is willing to recruit.
Adding Robinson does two things for the Aggies on the recruiting front: it gives them another coach who is familiar with recruiting the Northeast and Mid-Atlantic regions, and someone who has already had success in Houston and East Texas. It's clear the Aggies want to go national with their recruiting, but they also need to dominate in areas where they've done with traditionally. Robinson should help them do both.
On the coaching front, he takes over a loaded group of defensive tackles for 2018. If he can improve their performance next season to the upper echelon of the SEC, his reputation will jump even more.
