After a record-setting 10-touchdown season, receiver Kaedin Robinson was named to the preseason All-Sun Belt First Team. He’s happy with the honor and has high expectations for himself. He expects more records to be broken.
Robinson grew up in Brevard, 30 minutes outside of Asheville, and began catching footballs as a child. He credits his father with inspiring his passion for the sport.
“I was probably 3 years old and I was catching passes. My dad would throw me the ball,” Robinson said. “Today it feels just like I’m a kid out there playing football.”
Robinson played football throughout high school and graduated from Christ School in Arden. He ended up at ASA Community College in Brooklyn, New York to continue his football career. After one season, he transferred to Central Florida.
“It felt right at the time,” Robinson said. “I and the coaching staff had a great relationship.”
But shortly after he joined the Knights, head coach Josh Heupel left the team to take a new job in Tennessee. The talented wide receiver was now looking for a new home for the third time. And that’s how he ended up at App State.
Coach Shawn Clark, an App State graduate, became head coach at the end of the 2019 season. He previously worked with the Mountaineers as offensive line coach, co-offensive coordinator and assistant coach.
“It was honestly easy,” he said of the move to App State. “Coach Clark recruited me in high school, so we had been building a relationship for a long time. And since my home is two hours away, it all felt right.”
Robinson also thanks running back Ahmani Marshall and junior receiver Michael Hetzel as friends on the team who made the new school feel welcome.
Since joining the Mountaineers, Robinson has fit perfectly into the receiver department.
So far during his time at Boone, he has totaled 94 pass catches for 1,324 yards and 12 touchdowns. His 10 touchdowns last year tied him with Corey Sutton for fifth most in a single season at App State. One of those touchdowns was a moment Mountaineers fans may remember well, the overtime touchdown to beat undefeated James Madison on College GameDay.
“After the timeout, I looked at coach Clark and said, ‘I’m going to score, we’re not leaving this stadium without a win,'” Robinson said. “I went down, Joey threw me the ball and I saw the defender. I try not to let a defender take me down, so after he missed, it was just a race to the pylon.”
Robinson’s speed and agility were evident during the game, as was the confidence that veteran quarterback Joey Aguilar has in him.
Aguilar was thrust into the starting quarterback role in the second quarter of the Mountaineers’ first game of the 2023 season. Aguilar and Robinson clicked immediately and remained on par throughout the season. They hope to carry that chemistry into their final season together.
“He’s a juco kid too, so we get along,” Robinson said. “When he first got here, we told each other our juco stories and since he’s been here, it’s been great.”
Robinson expects an even better year for the two of them. He has a goal in mind that he wants to achieve this season.
“I want to be the Triple Crown leader. Lead the league in receptions, yards and touchdowns,” Robinson said.
Only three receivers in college football history have won the triple crown: Jerreth Sterns, Devonta Smith and Michael Crabtree, who first accomplished the feat in 2007. Achieving that would cement Robinson’s legacy as a legend of the game.
He also said he’s looking forward to showing off his speed, which he’s been working on in the offseason, as well as his route breaks. Robinson said he has plans to continue his career after graduation.
“I’m definitely going to try to play in the NFL,” Robinson said. “I think that’s a very achievable goal.”
Even though he has those lofty goals, Robinson said he’s grateful for what he gets to do. As he talked about football, his smile never left his face.
“It’s a no-brainer and I’m blessed to be able to play it,” Robinson said.
