Quotes about Erik Robinson (E-Rob)

About Erik Robinson, JR said:
"He could be a huge, huge key for us." (HSB)

HSB Note: " 'E-Rob' is a 5-foot-11, 198-pound junior college transfer from Texas. He is among several candidates to fill the position vacated by Leonard Peters, who is now with the New York Jets. Robinson's a hard hitter, who has been timed at less than 4.5 seconds in the 40."


About how he ended up at UH, E-Rob said:
"Coach Jeff (Reinebold) just found me. Oak Cliff (Dallas), Navarro Junior College (Corsicana, Texas). I was being highly recruited at first, then I hurt my ACL in 2005 and a lot of schools didn't want to take a chance with me. Then Coach Jeff showed up and told me they had a scholarship for me." (HSB)

HSB Note: "That was after the 5-foot-11, 198-pound Robinson made 115 tackles at Navarro, the most in the nation for any JC defensive back last year. It made him seem like a good candidate as a replacement for safety Leonard Peters, who is now with the New York Jets."


About how he has been working with E-Rob, Patek said:
"We go in coach's office and go over stuff on the board. He seems to be picking it up and coming out on the field he's showing he's learned it. He seems to be working pretty hard. That's a good trait, hard worker." (HSB)

Note: It is interesting that Patek, E-Rob, Lewis, and Newbery all played in the same JC conference and could comprise the entire starting secondary for UH at times this season.


Praising E-Rob, his JC coach Ray Woodard said:
"He was the best defensive player on our team. Because he could cover so much ground and he was so good at coming up to the line from deep, I was able to do a lot of different things with our defense. Also a great character guy. We're really going to miss him." (HSB)


JJ praised E-Rob at his news conference on letter-of-intent day:
"He's the real deal. We had a need there with Leonard leaving and we think he will be an impact player for us this season. Being from junior college he's a little bit older and more mature. His size and speed is a little different than what we've been used to." (HSB)


About growing up in South Oak Cliff, one of the toughest neighborhoods in Dallas, E-Rob said:
"I ran with a hard-head crew. I stayed in trouble. I didn't start playing (football) until my junior year of high school. I knew if I stayed in the streets I was going to end up in jail or dead or something. I took the positive road and stuck with (football). And it got me here, and I'm working to make a success of myself." (HSB)


Loving the family atmosphere of the UH team, E-Rob said:
"I enjoy the players. Everybody's like family. Coming from Navarro, we didn't have that kind of bond. I didn't really hang out with the players, I had just a few guys I'd hang out with. But everybody here is like family. When I was in high school and at my JC, we had good players but we didn't win a lot of games. I was like, 'I'll sacrifice, but I want to win.' I knew Hawaii was winning, and I knew there's an opening for a safety." (HSB)


About the competition between E-Rob, Monteilh, and Desmond Thomas for the starting safety spot alongside him, Patek said:
"(The starting spot is) there. If you want it, it's there. It's all a matter of how hard you work. That's how it was when I came here. There were guys in front of me, but Coach said, it's there, go get it." (HSB)