The Wolverine: Covering University of Michigan Football and Sports
Issue link: http://read.uberflip.com/i/787035
72 THE WOLVERINE MARCH 2017 2017 FOOTBALL RECRUITING ISSUE BY BRANDON BROWN There were no kickers or punters on Michigan's radar throughout virtu- ally the entire 2017 recruiting cycle, but on National Signing Day Westerville (Ohio) South two-star punter Brad Robbins announced via Twitter that he had been offered a scholarship by Michigan and would be accepting it. It was a bit of an unorthodox process compared to the other 29 members of U-M's class, but in the end it all worked out. "I committed to Nevada in October," Robbins said. "When it all started, I loved the way Nevada recruited me and it seemed like it would be a great fit. I've always wanted to move out west. Then around Thanksgiving the coaching staff was let go. "The new coaches came in and for about a month and a half I didn't hear a word from them, so my dad and I decided that it would probably be best to go to some showcase camps and see what I can do, and if any other options came up. "During the three or four camps I went to, I won them all and attracted some more attention. From there, a couple of Big Ten schools crawled out and took a peek at me. I picked up offers from Illinois, Rutgers and Navy also. Michigan had been on my radar for quite some time. I work with [former U-M punter] Zoltan Mesko, so I've been trying to get my name in front of Michigan for a while. Coach [Brandon] Kornblue [a former U-M kicker] and Zoltan did a good job help- ing me out, for sure." Those former Michigan Men were key in getting the 6-2, 180-pound Rob- bins noticed, and that ultimately led to the two parties linking up. Korn- blue sported the Maize and Blue from 1996-99 and now heads up Kornblue Kicking, one of the most nationally recognized companies in the kicking, punting and long snapping industry. He's been helping Robbins from the beginning of the process and took his assistance all the way up to National Signing Day. "Everybody kind of came in late be- cause of the nature of what happened," Kornblue explained. "After he opened up his recruitment, he came to me and asked me if Michigan might be an op- tion. I told them that if they were in- terested in Michigan I could get some stuff set up. I called [Jim] Harbaugh and the special teams coordinator and told them about Brad. "At first Harbaugh was open to it, but they didn't have a scholarship available. So after that it was just a matter of if they could sell him enough to wait it out and see what happened. That was the tricky part of the whole deal. I didn't think — and I don't think they thought — that a scholarship was going to be available on signing day, it might've ended up being weeks or months, but sure enough one came open and they really wanted him so they put it on him." As someone who played at Michi- gan, Kornblue knows that Robbins is going to be right at home in Ann Ar- bor. "He's a good student, great kid, with a good family — he's the full package. He's a Michigan guy," Kornblue said. "That's why I was willing to put my name out there on his behalf so late in the game. "Once Harbaugh, [Chris] Partridge and Jay Harbaugh started to really look into him they agreed that he was the real deal. I'm always straightfor- ward and honest about a kid, and I think Harbaugh, fortunately, under- stands that and was sold on Brad." Robbins may end up feeling very comfortable in Ann Arbor, but for the first 18 years of his life, he's called Columbus home. Those from Buck- eye country don't usually end up at U-M, but Robbins' situation is even deeper than that. He's in a house full of Buckeyes, but is already on board with what kind of mentality it takes to be a Wolverine. "Both of my parents actually went to Ohio State," Robbins said with a laugh. "My brother likes the Buckeyes, and so do my mom and dad, but I just never really caught the Buckeye fever. It wasn't too much of a shock for me to commit to Michigan. "I'd love to go to Michigan and be the kid from Ohio who gets to beat Ohio State." Robbins' recruitment was unortho- dox and so was the signing of his letter of intent. He accepted the scholarship offer from Michigan sight unseen and because of that didn't sign his letter on National Signing Day. He and his fam- ily committed to Michigan but decided they wanted to check out Ann Arbor just to be 100 percent content with the decision. He was in town from Feb. 3-5 and obviously the visit went well. Robbins signed his letter of intent just two days later on Feb. 7. ❏ Michigan Adds Punter Brad Robbins To 2017 Class During Final Hour Robbins, who originally pledged to Nevada before a coaching change altered his plans, got hooked up with U-M through his connection with former Wolverines Zoltan Mesko and Brandon Kornblue. PHOTO COURTESY BRAD ROBBINS VIA TWITTER