James Robinson (born August 9, 1998) is an
American football
American football (referred to simply as football in the United States and Canada), also known as gridiron, is a team sport played by two teams of eleven players on a rectangular field with goalposts at each end. The offense, the team with ...
running back
A running back (RB) is a member of the offensive backfield in gridiron football. The primary roles of a running back are to receive American football plays#Offensive terminology, handoffs from the quarterback to Rush (American football)#Offen ...
for the
New York Jets
The New York Jets are a professional American football team based in the New York metropolitan area. The Jets compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member club of the league's American Football Conference (AFC) East division. The J ...
of the
National Football League
The National Football League (NFL) is a professional American football league that consists of 32 teams, divided equally between the American Football Conference (AFC) and the National Football Conference (NFC). The NFL is one of the ...
(NFL). He played
college football
College football (french: Football universitaire) refers to gridiron football played by teams of student athletes. It was through college football play that American football rules first gained popularity in the United States.
Unlike most ...
at
Illinois State
Illinois State University (ISU) is a Public university, public university in Normal, Illinois. Founded in 1857 as Illinois State Normal University, it is the oldest public university in Illinois. The university emphasizes teaching and is reco ...
and signed with the Jaguars as an
undrafted free agent
In professional sports, a free agent is a player who is eligible to sign with other clubs or franchises; i.e., not under contract to any specific team. The term is also used in reference to a player who is under contract at present but who is a ...
in 2020, and was traded to the Jets in 2022. Robinson broke the NFL record for most scrimmage yards of any undrafted rookie.
Early life and high school
Robinson was born and grew up in
Rockford, Illinois
Rockford is a city in Winnebago County, Illinois, located in the far northern part of the state. Situated on the banks of the Rock River, Rockford is the county seat of Winnebago County (a small portion of the city is located in Ogle County). ...
. Robinson played
Pop Warner football
Pop Warner Little Scholars, commonly known simply as Pop Warner, is a nonprofit organization that provides activities such as American football, for over 425,000 youths aged 5 to 16 years old, in several nations. It is the largest youth footbal ...
for the Rockford Ravens. He attended
Rockford Lutheran High School
Rockford Lutheran High School is a private school in Rockford, Illinois. Established in 1964, Rockford Lutheran High School is associated with 25 area Lutheran Churches. The Lutheran churches have associations with both ELCA and LCMS. Student ...
, where he played basketball and
football
Football is a family of team sports that involve, to varying degrees, kicking a ball to score a goal. Unqualified, the word ''football'' normally means the form of football that is the most popular where the word is used. Sports commonly c ...
. As a senior, he rushed 2,461 yards and 44 touchdowns and was named Class 4A All-State. Robinson set
IHSA career records with 9,045 rushing yards and 158 rushing touchdowns.
College career
Robinson played in nine games as a true freshman in 2016, missing three games due to a calf injury and finishing the season as the Redbirds third-leading rusher with 322 yards and two touchdowns on 63 carries. He became the team's starting running back as a sophomore and was named first-team All-
Missouri Valley Football Conference
The Missouri Valley Football Conference (MVFC), formerly the Gateway Football Conference, is a collegiate athletic conference which operates in the Midwestern United States. It participates in the NCAA's Division I Football Championship Subdivis ...
(MVFC) after rushing for 933 yards and 12 touchdowns. Robinson rushed for 1,290 yards and 12 touchdowns in his junior season and was again named first-team All-MVFC as well as a first-team All-American by
Phil Steele
Phil Steele (c. 1960) is an American sportswriter and analyst who focuses exclusively on college and professional football. He is considered a "highly respected prognosticator" within the sports media. His company, Phil Steele Publications, prod ...
, a second-team All-American by
STATS STATS may refer to:
* Statistical Assessment Service
* STATS LLC, a former name of Stats Perform
Stats Perform (formerly STATS, LLC and STATS, Inc.) is a sports data and analytics company formed through the combination of Stats and Perform.
T ...
and HERO Sports and to the
Associated Press
The Associated Press (AP) is an American non-profit news agency headquartered in New York City. Founded in 1846, it operates as a cooperative, unincorporated association. It produces news reports that are distributed to its members, U.S. newspa ...
's third-team and was a finalist for the
Walter Payton Award
The Walter Payton Award is awarded annually to the most outstanding offensive player in the NCAA Division I Football Championship Subdivision (formerly Division I-AA) of college football as chosen by a nationwide panel of media and college sports ...
. As a senior, he rushed for 1,899 yards and 18 touchdowns and was a consensus first-team FCS All-American and a first-team All-Conference selection for the third straight season. Robinson finished his collegiate career with 4,444 rushing yards, second most in school history.
Professional career
Jacksonville Jaguars
Robinson signed with the
Jacksonville Jaguars
The Jacksonville Jaguars are a professional American football team based in Jacksonville, Florida. The Jaguars compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member club of the American Football Conference (AFC) South division. The team play ...
as an
undrafted free agent
In professional sports, a free agent is a player who is eligible to sign with other clubs or franchises; i.e., not under contract to any specific team. The term is also used in reference to a player who is under contract at present but who is a ...
on April 27, 2020, shortly after the conclusion of the
2020 NFL Draft
The 2020 NFL Draft was the 85th annual meeting of National Football League (NFL) franchises to select newly eligible players for the 2020 NFL season. The first round was held on April 23, followed by the second and third rounds on April 24. The d ...
. Robinson made the Jaguars' 53-man regular season roster out of training camp and was announced as the team's starting running back several days later.
Robinson made his NFL debut in Week 1 of the 2020 season against the
Indianapolis Colts
The Indianapolis Colts are a professional American football team based in Indianapolis. The Colts compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member club of the league's American Football Conference (AFC) South division. Since the 2008 ...
. He recorded 16 carries for 62 rushing yards and a reception in which he leapt over Colts
safety
Safety is the state of being "safe", the condition of being protected from harm or other danger. Safety can also refer to risk management, the control of recognized hazards in order to achieve an acceptable level of risk.
Meanings
There are ...
Khari Willis
Khari Willis (born May 7, 1996) is a former American football safety. He played for the Indianapolis Colts of the National Football League (NFL) from 2019 to 2021 after having played college football for the Michigan State Spartans. In 2022, Wil ...
for 28 receiving yards in the 27–20 victory. Robinson became the fourth undrafted rookie running back to start week one since 1970, and set the record for most rushing yards for an undrafted rookie in Week 1. He became the first running back from Illinois State to start a game since
Aveion Cason
Aveion Marquel Cason (born July 12, 1979) is a former American football running back and kick returner in the National Football League for the St. Louis Rams, Detroit Lions and Dallas Cowboys. He also was a member of the Florida Tuskers in the ...
in 2006. A week later, on September 20, 2020, Robinson tallied 120 all-purpose yards and scored his first career touchdown in a 33–30 loss to the
Tennessee Titans
The Tennessee Titans are a professional American football team based in Nashville, Tennessee. The Titans compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member club of the American Football Conference (AFC) South division, and play their h ...
. In Week 3, against the
Miami Dolphins
The Miami Dolphins are a professional American football team based in the Miami metropolitan area. They compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member team of the league's American Football Conference (AFC) East division. The team pla ...
on ''Thursday Night Football'', he had 129 scrimmage yards and two rushing touchdowns in the 31–13 loss.
On October 1, 2020, Robinson was named the NFL Offensive Rookie of the Month for his performance in September. In Week 7 against the
Los Angeles Chargers
The Los Angeles Chargers are a professional American football team based in the Los Angeles metropolitan area. The Chargers compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member of the American Football Conference (AFC) West division, and ...
, he had 22 carries for 119 rushing yards and one rushing touchdown to go along with four receptions for 18 receiving yards and one receiving touchdown in the 39–29 loss. In Week 10, against the
Green Bay Packers
The Green Bay Packers are a professional American football team based in Green Bay, Wisconsin. The Packers compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member club of the National Football Conference (NFC) NFC North, North division. It ...
, he had 23 carries for 109 rushing yards in the 24–20 loss. In Week 12, against the
Cleveland Browns
The Cleveland Browns are a professional American football team based in Cleveland. Named after original coach and co-founder Paul Brown, they compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member club of the American Football Conference ( ...
, he had 22 carries for 128 rushing yards and one rushing touchdown to go along with five receptions for 31 receiving yards in the 27–25 loss.
Robinson is the fourth undrafted player in NFL history to rush for 1,000 yards in his rookie season, following
Dominic Rhodes
Dominic Dondrell Rhodes (born January 17, 1979) is a former American football running back. He played college football at Midwestern State and was signed by the Indianapolis Colts as an undrafted free agent in 2001.
Rhodes was also a member ...
,
LeGarrette Blount
LeGarrette Montez Blount (; born December 5, 1986) is a former American football running back who played in the National Football League (NFL) for nine seasons. He played college football at Oregon after transferring from East Mississippi Commun ...
, and
Phillip Lindsay
Phillip Lindsay (born July 24, 1994) is an American football running back who is a free agent. Lindsay was born in Denver, Colorado, grew up in Aurora, Colorado, and attended South High School in Denver where he became the school's all-time le ...
. He also finished with the record for most scrimmage yards of any rookie free agent in NFL history. Robinson was also ranked 100th on the
NFL Top 100 Players of 2021
NFL Top 100 Players of 2021 is the eleventh season in the NFL Top 100 series. It premiered on August 15, 2021, and concluded on August 28, 2021. Kansas City Chiefs quarterback Patrick Mahomes was named the number one player.
Episode list
The ...
list.
Against the
New York Jets
The New York Jets are a professional American football team based in the New York metropolitan area. The Jets compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member club of the league's American Football Conference (AFC) East division. The J ...
in Week 16 of the 2021 season, Robinson tore his achilles in the first quarter, ending his season. He finished the season with 767 rushing yards and eight touchdowns through 14 games.
New York Jets
On October 25, 2022, Robinson was traded to the
New York Jets
The New York Jets are a professional American football team based in the New York metropolitan area. The Jets compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member club of the league's American Football Conference (AFC) East division. The J ...
in exchange for a conditional sixth-round pick following an
ACL injury to
Breece Hall
Breece Hall (born May 31, 2001) is an American football running back for the New York Jets of the National Football League (NFL). He played college football at Iowa State, where he was a two-time All-American and Big 12 Offensive Player of the ...
that cut his 2022 season short. It will be the higher of the two sixth-round picks that the Jets have in the 2023 draft (their own and Houston's). This pick could become a fifth-round selection if Robinson rushes for 260 yards or more for the Jets this season.
NFL career statistics
References
External links
Illinois State Redbirds bioJacksonville Jaguars bio
{{DEFAULTSORT:Robinson, James
1998 births
Living people
Players of American football from Illinois
Sportspeople from Rockford, Illinois
American football running backs
Illinois State Redbirds football players
Jacksonville Jaguars players
New York Jets players