By Gary Lloyd
Pinson Valley’s Earnest Robinson is accustomed to raising his game in crunch time.
It’s crunch time again for Robinson, but the pressure is not building between the white lines at Willie Adams Stadium. Rather, it’s within the walls of Center Point High School.
Robinson, a standout wide receiver, has the ACT score to get into college, but must raise his core grade point average to qualify at Auburn, where he signed to play football in February. He’s taking three classes as part of a credit recovery program at Center Point, said Pinson Valley head football coach Matt Glover.
“It’s up to him to do it,” Glover said.
Glover said Robinson signed with East Mississippi Community College before school was out as a “fallback” in case he doesn’t qualify at Auburn. Glover believes he will know if Robinson qualifies in mid or late July. If his work in summer school is enough, Robinson, a four-star prospect who committed to the Tigers in February 2012, will report to Auburn in August.
“He’s got work to do, so we’ll see,” Glover said.
Should Robinson not qualify, he could spend just three semesters at East Mississippi to qualify. He would still plan to play at Auburn, Glover said.
The 6-foot-2, 200-pound Robinson caught 51 passes for 900 yards and 12 touchdowns as a senior. In his career, he totaled 106 receptions for 1,976 yards and 33 scores.
“On the field, Earnest has the ability to raise his level of play against tough opponents, and in some cases, completely take over games,” said former Pinson Valley offensive coordinator Chris Mills, who also called Robinson “a respectful young man” who stayed out of trouble off the field.
Robinson will now have to raise his level in the classroom.
“The bigger the game, the better he played,” Glover said. “The bigger the stage, the bigger the play.”
Contact Gary Lloyd at news@trussvilletribune.com and follow him on Twitter @GaryALloyd.