INDIANAPOLIS — Travaris Robinson will bring a new look and feel to the Georgia defense, according to Alabama stars Dallas Turner and Chris Braswell.
The Bulldogs open spring drills on March 14 with Robinson one of the new faces on Kirby Smart’s staff, serving as the safeties coach and co-defensive coordinator alongside Glenn Schumann.
Turner, a projected Top 10 pick who is related to Robinson through family marriage, shared how the new Georgia defensive hire lifted Alabama his two years in Tuscaloosa.
“He brought a lot of juice and swagger, I’ll say that,” said Turner, a projected first-round draft pick who’s competing at the NFL Combine this week.
“He held everyone accountable and made sure everybody was playing to their highest standard every single day of practice and that transitioned to the games.”
Alabama linebacker Chris Braswell, another of the five Tide players widely projected in the first 50 picks of the draft, explained the mentality Robinson — affectionally known as “T-Rob” -- brought to Tuscaloosa.
“He brought a lot to the defense, he actually brought that mentality of ‘Dead on Arrival,’ and everything like that,” said Braswell, referring to an Alabama rally call that helped the Tide win the SEC Championship.
“So when he gets to Georgia, I’m pretty sure you’ll see the same thing.”
Turner explained in a FoxSports story during the bowl season that the team would break each meeting with “D.O.A.” in reference to the “Dead on Arrival” mentality when the defense swarmed to ball carriers.
The Bulldogs’ defense, while solid last season, lacked the edge it exhibited during its CFP Championship seasons of 2021 and 2022.
The 42-year-old Robinson, a Will Muschamp protege at Florida and South Carolina, also became more involved in the coordinator and play-calling duties at Alabama last season.
Ole Miss coach Lane Kiffin was the first to note the change after Texas lit up Alabama in a 34-24 game in Tuscaloosa last Sept. 9.
Our guys watching the TV copy schematical in this last game, it certainly seems like T-Rob’s now calling the defense,” Kiffin said, per Al.com. “We played him before at South Carolina, so we’re preparing accordingly, you know, for him calling the defense.
Georgia coach Kirby Smart quickly hired Robinson away from Alabama after Nick Saban’s retirement from that program.
Robinson replaces his mentor, Muschamp, as the UGA co-defensive coordinator this season.
Just as Georgia will advertise its 11 players on display at the NFL Combine this week, Robinson’s Alabama resume includes two projected first-round NFL cornerbacks, Terrion Arnold and Kool-Aid McKinstry.