Ty Robinson embarking on a senior season of high anticipation
Nebraska defensive lineman Ty Robinson walks towards the sideline during a timeout in the fourth quarter against Iowa Friday November 24, 2023 at Memorial Stadium. (Lynn Harrington/stayaliveinpower5)
INDIANAPOLIS — Nebraska’s veteran defensive lineman is approaching fall camp with a sense of urgency, knowing it’s his final season in Lincoln, and he wants to go out with a bang.
For a guy that stands six-foot-six, and weighs 310 pounds, Ty Robinson is versatile, which allows him to wreak havoc from the interior and off the edge. His production with the Huskers up to this point is definitely noteworthy, considering he has 97 career tackles, including 16 for loss and five sacks.
Robinson has remained consistent too, and been that disruptive force up front. Last season he helped the Blackshirts finish eighth nationally against the run, and 11th in total defense, which was their highest mark since 2009. Not to mention the Huskers ranked second in the Big Ten in tackles for loss and sacks.
Those numbers give Robinson and his teammates encouragement, and they’re preparing to have an even better campaign this fall. After all, the players are more familiar in year two of Tony White’s 3-3-5 scheme, and Robinson knows the defense wants to make plays all over the field.
“The sky’s the limit, just the work I’ve seen us put in over the last six months, and we got the young guys coming in that are going to fill some pretty big spots,” Robinson said. “I think we’ve done a great job over the last six months of maturing, and becoming sound football players.”
Robinson will be playing alongside Nash ‘Polar Bear’ Hutmacher again, and that’s bad news for opposing offensive linemen, considering the two combined for 69 stops, including 12 for loss and 5.5 sacks last year. The former four-star prospect takes pride in anchoring the defensive line, and pushing his teammates to be dominant in the trenches.
Nebraska has a history of producing studs from the interior, including Jason Peters, Steve Warren, N’damukong Suh and Jared Crick. Robinson appears to be next in line, after earning Honorable Mention All-Big Ten last season. Now he knows White’s system like the back of his hand, and plans on thriving in it this fall.
“I’m super comfortable, Coach White has kept it really simple for us as a defensive perspective, allows us to play football freely, and there hasn’t been that much of a change from a schematic standpoint,” he said. “Just his coaching style, he’s making sure that fire under us is kindled at all times, making sure that we’re ready to go.”
The Arizona native is improving his footwork, flexibility and burst. Robinson wants to have that low center of gravity to maneuver around offensive tackles, bat down passes at the line of scrimmage and penetrate the backfield. If the defensive line gets a good push up front, it makes the job easier on the linebackers and the secondary.
Although he already has 33 career starts, Robinson is mostly looking forward to earning a Blackshirt for a final time. It’s a tradition he takes seriously, and what he feels will cement his legacy as a Husker.
“Every year earning that Blackshirt it means the world to me, just knowing that I get to represent that type of culture, and that type of history, and be part of that is something special,” the 23-year old said.
The former four-star prospect is anticipating an intense fall camp, but can’t wait to get the pads popping. There’s a lot of hype surrounding this year’s team, and Robinson wants to end his career with a winning season, which the Huskers haven’t accomplished since 2016.
