Want to attack every day with the latest Georgia football recruiting info? That’s what the Intel brings. This entry is about the official visit review from elite 2022 RB prospect Branson Robinson.
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When it comes to an elite RB prospect like Branson Robinson, the question was never going to be how high was UGA going to set the bar for other schools to clear with his recruiting process.
That generic official visit recap term does not apply to the Mississippi state champion powerlifter with the 4.49 speed in the 40.
It was going to be how much weight the Bulldogs could stack on the bar. Could the other contenders like Clemson, Alabama, Tennessee and LSU carry the weight Georgia did on that official visit?
Robinson had the perfect answer to that.
“I’m going to use a squat analogy,” he said. “You know my max is about 630. So I am going to say that Georgia probably put about 640 pounds on the bar as far as recruiting goes and as far as the visit went. Everything was just amazing from the time I woke up in the hotel to the time we got to do things. Even when I went to sleep. I was just happy the whole time. There never was a dull moment. They set the bar with all the weight on it. It is pretty high up there.”
The fast-and-furious jabs of the official visit review must also quickly highlight the following:
- Before the trip, Robinson and his family put together a plan that no commitment was going to be made on a visit. “We decided even if, after the visit, if I wanted to commit to Georgia, we still wanted to go on the next couple of visits to see what everybody else had to offer,” Branson Robinson said.
- This will be a well-vetted decision. Not an emotional one. Due diligence is necessary. “We want to go on three or four more visits,” Robinson said. “See what other schools have to offer.”
- There is already a plan to come back to Georgia on an unofficial. “That’s because my Mom had to stay behind Friday and most of Saturday for a funeral. Her grandmother died. She had to stay so she missed a good chunk of everything. We want her to come back and show her everything we saw that she missed. Even the time she got there, she had so much fun. We want to come back and show her all that she missed because she plays a big part in where I will go.”
- Did he still feel like making a commitment on the official? Or did he at least notice a vibe in that direction? “Absolutely,” he said. “Yes, sir. We stayed there for three days and after every day was over and all the visits we did, my Dad and I would go talk in the hotel room. I would bring it up a couple of times about that and we had to step on the brakes because like I said the plan all along was to take all of these visits and see what all the schools had to offer. So yeah, that definitely came up.”
- Robinson was noticed at the airport flying over from Mississippi. He was noticed by UGA alumni at Hartsfield-Jackson International Airport. He was noticed by kids when he was out in Athens. The nation’s No. 1 RB for Rivals.com even wound up chatting UGA on the way home. He sat next to a “big Georgia fan” on the plane.
- His story has been well-documented on DawgNation. Especially that part about Herchel Walker inspiring him. Robinson got the chance on his official visit to meet and chat with Georgia football staffer Mike Cavan this past weekend. Cavan is a UGA legend for his recruitment of Walker, among other things.
- Kendall Milton was his player host. He was a 5-star at that. It was interesting how Milton laid out the burdens required of an “RBU” back at Georgia. “He told me what it is really like to be a running back at Georgia,” Robinson said. “He told me about the things that they do at practice. ‘The things we do after practice’ was what he said. The extra work that every running back at Georgia has got to put in to be where you want to be playing at Georgia.”
- WR commitment De’Nylon Morrissette thought Robinson had the most fun of all the prospects in town. When he first saw the 5-foot-10, 220-pounder, he guessed that had to be somebody’s father. Or maybe an uncle.
- Did Morrissette read him right? “I want to say he did,” Robinson said. “I had a lot of fun. Coming into the visit, I expected to have fun. But it was more than I expected. I was smiling and having fun the whole time. It was great.”
- His father, Reginald, gave it an “A+” review for the trip. “I really can’t see any areas that I would give them a sub-par grade in,” Reginald Robinson said. “I’m almost like the kids. Everything is above board. Georgia is not new to the recruiting game. They know what to say and what to display and what to highlight.”
- What was the most fun for the parents? “Karaoke Night at Kirby Smart’s house,” his father said. “That was actually the most fun. Just sitting down and mingling and networking and talking to everyone there. It was a good atmosphere. We weren’t talking about Georgia or football. We were just kids signing and listening to old songs we grew up on.”
- His father’s highest marks on the visit went to Smart. “Aw, man,” he said. “That Kirby Smart is real. He’s just like another guy in the room. I will give him an A-plus, too. He showed us great hospitality. Prior to us leaving, we did meet with him in his office. I imagine we talked for 30 minutes or so. He was selling Georgia which was in line and in order.”
- The best line from his Dad was: “I don’t have anything else to compare the Georgia visit to. Right now my girlfriend I have got is my first girlfriend and she’s the prettiest woman I have ever seen. Until I get another girlfriend and then I can see which one really looks the best.”
- For the karaoke record, the Robinsons did not sing. Smart did not either. “Well, Branson gets his [church] choir voice from his mother,” his father said. “100 percent. I can’t take credit for that. The only credit I can take from that is that his mother chose me and I am forever grateful.”
- They will see all his options. That means an unofficial visit next weekend to Clemson, an official visit to Alabama after that and another official to Tennessee. He’s in the process of setting up a fourth official to LSU. Clemson does not schedule official visits during the summer, he said.
While that certainly sounds like some very positive momentum for the Bulldogs, there was one “dull” or “sad” part of the trip to document here.
“I didn’t want to leave,” Robinson said. “That was the only sad part. I take that back. The dull moment was I didn’t want to leave. I had so much fun. I wanted to stay here.”
24 hours later: How does Branson Robinson feel about Georgia now?
The first thing he shared about the trip was about the coaches. The staff. The love.
That’s bigger than the two filet mignons he ate at dinner. He did so with Kirby Smart sitting right by him. The first one was about an inch-and-a-half thick. It went down in about five minutes.
“Aw, man,” he said, “The coaches, man. The coaches showed so much love. Not just coach [Dell] McGee. I mean every coach on the coaching staff. Everybody and every coach came up to me and shook my hand and talked to me. Everybody. Coach Smart.”
“I got to eat that steak you were talking about. I ate it right beside him. I was around Coach Smart a lot. More than even coach McGee actually on the visit.”
Smart wanted him to know about Georgia.
“He just wanted me to know I am going into a great situation at Georgia if I decide to go there,” Robinson said. “Just look at the depth chart. Zamir [White] and James [Cook] and most likely they are leaving by the time I get there.”
“Kendall [Milton] was actually my player host. I got to talk with and how everything is going to be if I commit there.”
What was the best part?
“There were so many great parts,” Robinson said. “I think the best part of the visit was probably the cooking part. The players have got a cooking class. I got to cook and everything with the other prospects. That was a lot of fun. That might have been the highlight of everything. I got to cook a little bit and show off my cooking skills.”
He was even impressed by the enthusiasm of Georgia staffer Katie Turner. She is the Director of Recruiting Operations at UGA.
“Not just the coaching staff,” Robinson said. “I mean Katie. I don’t know if you know her or not. But she’s great. Smiling and laughing all the time. The thing about Georgia is everybody has a job and everybody is on their job. All the time. I love that because that means you have the right people around you to get things done. That’s another great thing about Georgia. You have good people in place and you can get a lot of great stuff done.”
What was the biggest box Georgia checked for him this weekend?
“The best thing about Georgia is, man, I tell you there are so many good things,” Robinson said. “The thing I want to say about Georgia is the fans. The Georgia fans are everywhere. Like the Atlanta airport. I mean it is a huge airport. People came up to me saying they are huge fans and they watch me all the time. There were a lot of Georgia alumni there in the airport that day.”
He said he was surrounded by some kids.
“They said they wanted to see me in person,” Robinson said. “They said I look bigger in person.”
Robinson said Georgia QB commitment Gunner Stockton proved to be the best player-recruiter on that trip. They didn’t talk a lot about football but there was just a feeling. Stockton was in the hotel room next door.
“We were just talking and imaging if he and I joined the same backfield in Athens and imagining all the touchdowns we could score,” Robinson said.
Dad’s review: What Reginald Robinson had to say about the official?
His father was impressed with the things a parent should pay attention to.
“The educational piece,” Reginald Robinson said. “We went to the academic hall and they showed us all the support staff the student-athletes would have. Most of it is mandatory for their freshman year. They will have to check-in and have to make sure their time on task is on schedule and online with what they need to do be successful in the classroom first.”
“That was of utmost importance to both me and my wife. It seems like they have a good grasp on that.”
The trip left them with no questions unanswered. He said that only 30 to 40 percent of the visit was about football.
McGee did go over Robinson’s film and ways he’d coach him. They discussed the program and the offensive line prospects that would be coming or are already in place to block for him.
“I was appreciative of that,” Reginald Robinson said. “Football was the purpose of the visit. I know that. But football is just football. There’s not really much you can keep on talking about to my knowledge. It is what it is at this point. The film speaks for itself. Georgia’s record speaks for itself. It is an open book on both tables for all of us with football.”
The plan is still to move on to see Clemson next week for an unofficial visit.
“That was a great date for us for our first visit and our first date,” his father said. “Now you have to go on a second date with another girl to see what the conversation is like and that will apply the mind to venture out into some more questions to compare the two dates.”
Putting on the Georgia gear was “amazing” to Robinson.
“Being inside that uniform and going into the stadium where we took the pictures,” Branson Robinson said. “Just imaging yourself in that uniform in that stadium running the ball and scoring touchdowns with 95,000 fans cheering you on. It was something to dream about. It was just something.”
The visit meant something to him.
“I want people to know that Georgia is a special place,” he said. “Not too many places like that. It set the bar pretty high. I just want people to know that Georgia is going to be pretty hard to beat. The other colleges have to come with it but that’s why we have set these other visits. We want to see if they can and see what they have got.”
SENTELL'S INTEL
(check on the recent recruiting reads on DawgNation.com)
- BREAKING: 5-star Big Bear Alexander de-commits from UGA
- Late-night Intel: The quick game read on that big first weekend of OVs
- Drew Bobo: Legacy OL reflects on his “shocking” UGA offer
- Big Bear Alexander to Kirby Smart: “I have red, black and white in my veins.”
- Mykel Williams: Despite the new stuff, the priority 5-star says the people still stand out at UGA
- Official visit primer: Check out the eight big names at UGA this weekend
- Georgia football recruiting: Live updates from the first week back of visits
- Georgia football recruiting: Who’s visiting UGA today on June 3
- Georgia football recruiting: Who’s visiting UGA today on June 2
- Rewinding the first day of the “live period” for UGA recruiting
- Who’s visiting UGA on a busy first day back for on-campus recruiting?
- Big Bear Alexander will be in Athens on June 1
- Branson Robinson: The choir boy RB target than can run a 4.49 and bench press 410 pounds
- Deyon Bouie: The 5-star commit is still “locked-in” with UGA
- 5-star LB Jeremiah Alexander outlines his June 3 visit to UGA
- California OL Earnest Greene III plans to take a visit to UGA
- Amari Sabb: Georgia offers the younger brother of 5-star ATH Keon Sabb
- WATCH: Georgia WR commitment De’Nylon Morrissette breaks free for a 99-yard TD
- Nation’s No. 2 TE Oscar Delp hints at a strong family connection to UGA
- Georgia legacy Marcus Washington Jr. will also be a Bulldog
- 5-star UGA commit Malaki Starks win the Georgia state long jump title
- Jalon Walker named Gatorade North Carolina Player of the Year after his junior season
