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National Signing Day 2015: Welcome to Penn State, Andre Robinson

The Pennsylvania running back was one of the first to commit to James Franklin, and in doing so, may have helped reestablish the Penn State-Bishop McDevitt relationship.

By Nick Polak
247Sports

Welcome to Black Shoe Diaries' coverage of National Signing Day 2015. We're here to make sure that you know exactly who the newest Nittany Lions are, where they come from, and what we can expect of them. Each of these reports will include their vital information, their high school statistics, highlight tape analysis, outlook for their freshmen seasons and more. We sincerely hope you enjoy getting to know the stars of tomorrow. If you've been reading along with our recruiting coverage all year, we appreciate the support and are glad you hung around with us for the ride that was the 2015 recruiting class. If you are a new reader, welcome! We're glad you're here, and we hope you stick around for 2016!

To navigate your way to other members of the 2015 recruiting class, simply head back to our draft board and click on the player of your choice.

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Andre Robinson's commitment not only provided James Franklin and his staff with a fantastic running back, and someone who should team up with Saquon Barkley to be a devastating combo in the near future, but it also provided the staff a chance to build a new relationship with the coaches at Bishop McDevitt High School. The relationship between the premiere program in Pennsylvania and one of its high school powerhouses had become fractured in years past. Thanks to Robinson, that relationship is being rebuilt.

Stats

Hometown: Harrisburg, PA

High School: Bishop McDevitt

Position: Running Back

Height/Weight: 5'9"/205

247Composite Rank: ★★★★ (0.9201)

Positional Rank: #17 Running Back, #6 Player in Pennsylvania

Commitment Date: February 27, 2014

High School Stats

Grade GP Rushing Yards Yards per Carry Receiving Yards Offensive Yards per Game Total TD
Senior 9 1,465 8.2 160 180.56 19
Junior 16 2,338 9.0 235 160.81 30
Sophomore 12 1,034 6.8 198 102.67 20
Freshman 16 820 7.3 257 67.31 19

Highlight Tape

Scouting Report

Andre Robinson is going to make Penn State fans very happy during his time in Happy Valley. He runs with great power, despite his smaller stature. He's a a different kind of power back than Penn State has had over the past few seasons, though. Fans who are used to seeing Zach Zwinak rumble out of the backfield at mind bogglingly slow speeds will be very pleased to see Robinson. He won't spend nearly as much time behind the line of scrimmage as his predecessor, rather he'll attack the first opening he sees. It will take much more than simple arm tackles to take him down, as he is an angry runner who doesn't shy away from contact.

He's not someone who is going to break free down the sideline and outrun everyone on the field without a little bit of help from his blockers, but he's no slouch in the speed department. To quote myself back when he committed, "He runs like someone with a much larger frame than he possesses." This is what will allow him to be successful at Penn State, as long as he puts the work in. In the end, he should remind Penn State fans of a smaller, but more powerful version of Akeel Lynch.

Andre Robinson, Action

Immediate Outlook

Redshirt, Yes

Andre Robinson will be joining a crowded cast of running backs at Penn State in 2015. Akeel Lynch's name is all but etched in stone as the starter for John Donovan's offense, with 2014 signee Johnathan Thomas not far behind him. Aside from those two, Mark Allen and Nick Scott both remain on the team after signing in 2014 as well. Allen was a scout team star this past year, so there's a chance he'll be the one earning mop up duty this upcoming season. Scott is a very versatile athlete who may eventually be moved elsewhere to get on the field. The other competitor Robinson will have, will be fellow 2015 recruit, Saquon Barkley.

Robinson certainly has the ability to earn playing time right away, especially with the recent success of freshman running backs in college football, but with so many more experienced players ahead of him, he will likely find himself with a redshirt for the 2015 season. Expect to hear a lot about Robinson from the weight room, continuing to build himself into a bowling ball of a runner who could provide the starting defense good practice for dealing with Ezekiel Elliott of Ohio State.

Everything Else

Welcome to Penn State, Andre!

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