December 14, 2024<\/a><\/p>\nThere are over 1,000 defensive linemen at the FBS level, but not many simultaneously display the speed and athleticism of Robinson. Strength and conditioning coach Jim Kiritsy quickly realized that and took him under his wing as one of his greatest projects. Referred to in the building as \u201cCoach K,\u201d Kiritsy is tasked with finding the proper strength vs. speed tradeoff for each of his players. He perfected those attributes with Robinson.<\/p>\n
Without compensating his team record 465-pound bench press or 665-pound squat, Kiritsy trained the defensive tackle to become one of the quickest in the country. The former linebacker already arrived to Annapolis with a foundational degree of speed, but Coach K helped Robinson amplify it at his newfound size. The results spoke for themselves, as Robinson clocked in at 20.13 miles per hour on the Catapult speed tracking system. He even recorded a vertical jump as high as 33 inches, checking yet another box in the athleticism olympics.<\/p>\n
\u201cHe\u2019s a phenomenal kid, first of all. His motor runs high. He\u2019s a freak athletically,\u201d Newberry said. \u201cHe\u2019s got all the intangibles you want. He\u2019s got all the physical qualities. For us, what we do defensively, we\u2019re moving him and shaking it up front. We\u2019re not gonna just put him in a 3-technique and then let him get doubled.\u201d<\/p>\n
When you graduate from the Naval Academy there are strict weight requirements, but until that day arrives, members of the football team are not bound by a maximum. However, it isn\u2019t commonplace for Navy to land 320-pound linemen recruits on the roster (only five players on the entire 2025 roster are 300+, peaking at 317).<\/p>\n
Thus, the Midshipmen\u2019s one-gap defensive scheme (where each defensive lineman is assigned a single gap between opposing offensive linemen) is designed to showcase the skills of quick, yet strong defensive linemen who can hold their gaps and rush the passer. And perhaps there\u2019s no anchor better equipped to thrive in that scheme than Landon Robinson.<\/p>\n
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Navy DT Landon Robinson has three career fake punt runs for 87 yards.<\/p>\n
Photo by Ricky Bowden\/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images<\/p>\n
\u201cIt\u2019s something that we pride ourselves on. We don\u2019t need the big guys,\u201d Robinson said. \u201cIt\u2019s use your leverage, use your hands, and use your technique to make plays and get back in the backfield.\u201d<\/p>\n
After fully mastering his athleticism above 280 pounds, Robinson finally received his first crack at a starting spot in 2024, and it couldn\u2019t have gone more swimmingly. Robinson registered 61 tackles, six tackles for loss, four sacks, and forced a pair of fumbles as Navy showcased its best scoring defense since 2015. He landed First Team All-AAC honors in his first opportunity as a starter, and he credits countering Navy\u2019s unique flexbone offensive scheme for his rapid rise to stardom.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe have a very good offense, so every day in camp we go against a very good o-line, a very good offense as a whole,\u201d Robinson said. \u201cYou get those repetitions in practice, so when you get out to the game, guys aren\u2019t moving as fast or guys aren\u2019t as strong, it\u2019s like, \u2018I\u2019ve seen this before,\u2019 and it\u2019s just muscle memory at that point.\u201d<\/p>\n
Navy warranted five First Team and Second All-AAC defensive selections in 2024. However, Robinson is the only one yet to graduate, providing the Midshipmen another season to hone his skills. Newberry wants to take advantage of the 6\u20190\u201d, 287 pound nose guard\u2019s athleticism and is eager to line him up in a multitude of areas in 2025.<\/p>\n
\u201cHe\u2019s hard to block, he\u2019s hard to get underneath, hard to move,\u201d Newberry said. \u201cWe\u2019ve always tried to recruit nose guards like that. Really the thing we need to take advantage of this year is his ability to rush the quarterback. We\u2019ve gotta get him matched him. Put him at end, let him rush. Put him in at 3-technique, move him out of the nose position, we\u2019re gonna do that, find some matchup advantages because he\u2019s already a good pass rusher.\u201d<\/p>\n
While the Midshipmen are no strangers to producing team success, having won 10+ games five times since 2004, Navy isn\u2019t exactly a harvester of NFL talent. The Midshipmen only have four NFL Draft selections since 2000, but one of Robinson\u2019s defensive teammates \u2014 Rayuan Lane III \u2014 earned that honor in April. Hearing Lane\u2019s name called on the NFL Draft stage was a pivotal moment in Robinson\u2019s football career, and three months later, it continues to serve as an inspiration.<\/p>\n
\u201cIt was one of the coolest things I\u2019ve ever seen,\u201d Robinson said. \u201cIt was very cool looking on TV and seeing one of our guys get picked up. It\u2019s inspiring at the least. Not a lot of people get picked up by our school. It shows you can do it anywhere. As long as you\u2019re good, the coaches will find you.\u201d<\/p>\n
All seniors at the Naval Academy must pick their service selection in their penultimate semester before graduation. Robinson is currently eyeing the Marine Corps as his service selection, yet at the same time, he dreams of testing his superhuman athleticism on football\u2019s grandest stage in the NFL.<\/p>\n
\u201cIt\u2019s definitely something I want to pursue,\u201d Robinson said. \u201cI just gotta have a great season. Hopefully, I can make that happen. It\u2019s definitely on my radar and definitely something I\u2019m looking forward to.\u201d<\/p>\n
But first, he\u2019s granted one more season to demonstrate one of the most unique combinations of strength, speed, verticality, and general athleticism currently present in college football.<\/p>\n