Tag: Brad Robbins

2021 Season Countdown: #15 Brad Robbins

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Name: Brad Robbins
Height: 6’1″
Weight: 203 lbs.
High school: Westerville (OH) South
Position: Punter
Class: Fifth year senior
Jersey number: #91
Last year: I ranked Robbins #64 and said he would be a backup punter (LINK). He punted 23 times for 1,041 yards (45.3 yards/punt) and put 8 of them inside the 20-yard line.
TTB Rating: 70

If you talk about an up-and-down career at Michigan, Robbins should be in the conversation. He was Honorable Mention All-Big Ten in 2017 before an injury caused him to miss 2018, when walk-on Will Hart stepped in and looked outstanding. But then Hart’s play fell off, allowing Robbins to take back over the job. Hart went from looking like an All-American to looking very pedestrian (and has since transferred to San Jose State), while Robbins went from looking pedestrian to looking like an All-Big Ten player, leading the conference in punting average.

With Hart out of the picture in 2021, Robbins is even more important than he was, since the Wolverines have no proven or experienced backup. He’s the only full-time punter listed in the roster. Backups include fifth year senior transfer Rhett Andersen from Hampden-Sydney – who has been a placekicker his entire college career – and true freshman Tommy Doman, who averaged 44.8 yards on punts as a high school senior. Doman is the best bet to be the backup, but you never know how a freshman will respond to the pressure of playing in the Big Ten.

Prediction: Starting punter

2020 Season Countdown: #64 Brad Robbins

Name: Brad Robbins
Height: 6’1″
Weight: 199 lbs.
High school: Westerville (OH) South
Position: Punter
Class: Redshirt junior
Jersey number: #3
Last year: I ranked Robbins #83 and said he would transfer (LINK). He punted 4 times for 171 yards (42.7 yards/punt) and had 1 punt blocked.
TTB Rating: 70

Robbins is one of those rare examples of a player who entered the transfer portal and then removed himself from the transfer portal. Last year I ranked him at #83 and then had him in the portal, but he ended up filling in for Will Hart in two games. Unfortunately, Michigan had 2 punts blocked in 2019, and one of them was Robbins’s against Alabama.

This year I assume Robbins will be Hart’s backup yet again. How valuable is a backup punter? Last year Michigan had a little more wiggle room with George Caratan in the mix, but he has since transferred to Arkansas, leaving redshirt freshman Karl Kerska as the likely #3. Robbins will probably not be used very much.

Prediction: Backup punter

2019 Season Countdown: #83 Brad Robbins

Name: Brad Robbins
Height: 6’2″
Weight: 206 lbs.
High school: Westerville (OH) South
Position: Punter
Class: Redshirt sophomore
Jersey number: #3
Last year: I ranked Robbins # (LINK). He redshirted.
TTB Rating: 70

Robbins had a decent freshman season in 2017 when he averaged 40.4 yards per punt. All-Big Ten Honorable Mention honors followed that season, and he seemed to be on the path to a solid career. Then he injured his back, and the wheels came off (at least at Michigan). Walk-on Will Hart took over the punting job and was booming kicks every single week, to the point where that 40.4 yards per punt looked paltry.

Now Robbins is in the transfer portal and won’t return to Michigan. I already had him in the queue to be ranked here at #83, so here he is. Barring something unforeseen, Hart will be the starting punter again, with George Caratan as the likely backup.

Prediction: Transfer

2018 Season Countdown: #26 Brad Robbins

Brad Robbins (image via Twitter)

Name: Brad Robbins
Height: 6’2″
Weight: 181 lbs.
High school: Westerville (OH) South
Position: Punter
Class: Sophomore
Jersey number: #3
Last year: I ranked Robbins #29 and said he would be the starting punter (LINK). He punted 64 times for 2,583 yards (40.4 yards/kick), 4 touchbacks, 23 fair catches, and 19 punts inside the 20.
TTB Rating: 70

Robbins had an up-and-down 2018 season. Walk-on Will Hart was a part-time punter in Robbins’s place because Robbins was somewhat inconsistent. Robbins has the stronger leg and looks to be the better punter long-term, but some guys just aren’t ready to be the guy as true freshmen. That appears to be the case here.

Now that Robbins has a year under his belt, I expect him to be more consistent. He doesn’t have a booming leg, so he needs to be able to kick directionally without shanking punts out of bounds. I have heard that he has improved over the off-season, but with those types of things, I’m in wait-and-see mode. When defensive players start rushing him as hard as they can, he might revert to previous bad habits. So we’ll see what happens this year, but I think he’ll take a small step forward.

Prediction: Starting punter

2017 All-Big Ten Defense

Maurice Hurst, Jr. (#73)

The Big Ten released its choices for the defensive All-Big Ten teams, and there are numerous Wolverines included.

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