STARKVILLE — Mississippi State wide receiver Justin Robinson looks at every game as an opportunity.
But Saturday’s game against No. 1 Georgia will be a different animal entirely.
“I would be lying if I said this weekend didn’t mean a little something different to him,” Robinson’s father Niqua said.
After two seasons at UGA, Robinson transferred to Mississippi State in January.
The wideout’s time in Athens wasn’t easy.
Ultimately, Robinson made the choice to move on.
“But everything he went through at Georgia, he’s better for it,” Niqua said. “It was an awesome experience. I wouldn’t have done it any other way for him.”
Growing pains at Georgia
Standing 6-foot-4 and weighing 220 pounds, Robinson fits the prototype of a big, physical receiver.
But he has experience all over the field, playing defensive end, safety and wide receiver growing up. He even went under center — once.
“He played quarterback one game, but it was an emergency,” Niqua said. “He didn’t want to do it, but they made him do it.”
Robinson also excelled at cornerback at Eagle’s Landing Christian Academy in McDonough, Georgia, but he was recruited as both a wideout and a safety.
A four-star prospect, Robinson saw his college decision come down to two schools: Notre Dame — which wanted him on defense — and Georgia.
“He wanted to play receiver more than he wanted to play safety, so that’s why he went to Georgia,” Niqua said.
Robinson enrolled early in Athens in January 2020. When the COVID-19 pandemic hit two months later, he was ahead of the UGA freshmen who came in over the summer.
Coaches rewarded Robinson with a spot on the Bulldogs’ travel roster for a road game, a big deal for a freshman.
But Robinson, his father said, didn’t understand that. He got frustrated when he saw other players getting their opportunities while he stood on the sidelines.
“When he questioned that, he didn’t get the answer he liked,” Niqua said.
Robinson missed a practice.
It was downhill from there.
“Kirby runs a different type of ship,” Niqua said. “When he missed that practice, for him, that was like the beginning of the end — for that season, anyway.”
Moving on
By the 2021 season, Robinson had matured enough to pick up on how things worked at Georgia.
He fought his way back into his coaches’ good graces, earning playing time for the Bulldogs.
“He understood that the world didn’t revolve around him — you’re not in high school no more,” Niqua said.
Robinson caught just two passes, one of which was a touchdown grab late in a rout of UAB.
But a pulled hamstring midway through the season sidelined him for weeks, and although he played against Georgia Tech in the regular-season finale, his snaps were gone in the postseason.
“Georgia’s one of those places where if you get hurt, you’re liable not to play anymore,” Niqua said. “They’ve got so many kids, it’s hard to get back into the lineup.”
Robinson supported his teammates throughout the Southeastern Conference championship game and in the College Football Playoff. He got to celebrate Georgia’s win over Alabama for its first national title since 1980.
Two days after that, he entered the transfer portal.
But parting ways with Georgia wasn’t as simple as it seemed.
“You can’t just say, ‘I want to go into the portal’ and they’ll be like, ‘OK,’” Niqua said. “It’s not official at that point. The school isn’t bound by anything.”
The day after the national title game, Robinson put it in writing that he wanted to leave. He still had to meet with Smart and settle any unpaid balances with the school. Including paying back rent stipends, Niqua and Robinson’s mother Tessie spent $1,000 to get everything in order.
They had to do it fast.
The spring semester started at most schools the week after the national title game, and Robinson’s decision to finish the season with his teammates rather than check out early made things hectic.
“He could have left and gone into the transfer portal earlier, and the transition would have been a lot easier for him,” Niqua said.
Doing things differently
Instead, Robinson hit the portal Jan. 12 and fielded calls from a plethora of schools.
Three days later, he chose Mississippi State.
The transition was good, but it wasn’t seamless.
“It was an adjustment,” Niqua said. “It’s a different culture at Mississippi State, and they do things a little bit different at Mississippi State as a whole and from a position standpoint. He had to adjust to that, but once he got adjusted to what they were doing and what they expected of him and all that little stuff, I think it went pretty good for him.”
Joining a talented group of receivers in Starkville, Robinson had to compete for playing time just like he did at Georgia.
He has played in all nine games, catching 15 passes for 154 yards. Robinson caught a 23-yard touchdown pass against Memphis, his very first reception in his very first game at MSU.
On Saturday against Auburn, Robinson surpassed Caleb Ducking to earn his first collegiate start, catching four passes for 31 yards.
“He feels like he has the ability to take on a larger role,” his father said. “For him to be named a starter for that game, it was an achievement.”
Niqua said being at Mississippi State has been positive for Robinson’s mental state.
At MSU, he said, there’s more of a focus on academics and mental well-being than there was at Georgia, where it felt like football 24/7.
“These kids, they go through a lot,” Niqua said. “Football is very, very taxing on them — mentally, psychologically and physically. Coming from a place like Georgia, football is everything. It’s easy for a kid to lose himself in that process.
“Here at Mississippi State, it’s almost like he’s able to look at things differently because it’s structured completely differently. They want to win as much as Georgia does; they just do it a little differently.”
Georgia, of course, has won more.
The defending national champions come into Starkville on Saturday night at 9-0 and 6-0 in the SEC.
For most players on Mississippi State’s roster, there’s a lot on the line.
For Robinson, there’s even more.
“I think this game right here, naturally it’ll mean a little more to him,” Niqua said.
Theo DeRosa reports on Mississippi State sports for The Dispatch. Follow him on Twitter at @Theo_DeRosa.
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