He may have been a part of Beechwood for just one season, but Antonio Robinson Jr. made the most of his opportunity.
Now he’ll head to Winston-Salem as he signed his National Letter of Intent with the Wake Forest Demon Deacons on Wednesday to continue his academic and football career.
Robinson’s lone season in Fort Mitchell came with 41 receptions for 588 yards and seven touchdowns, also adding a rushing touchdown on the offensive end, two interceptions, two forced fumbles on the defensive end, helping the 14-1 Tigers to their third straight Class 2A state championship.
He was recruited to Wake Forest as a cornerback, rated as a 4-star at some recruiting websites and one of the top 50 corners in the country.
Robinson committed in June and held firm since.
“Antonio is a very intelligent football player with elite athletic ability and great range. Antonio is also dynamic with the ball in his hands. Welcome Antonio to the Deacs,” Wake Forest head coach Dave Clawson posted on his Twitter page Wednesday.
He moved to Northern Kentucky over the summer, his father Antonio Robinson Sr. helping run Nevels Fitness, a new high-end sports performance training facility in Newport owned by former Highlands alum Jordan Nevels, a football standout of his own named to the All-State team two years in a row and later going on to play at the University of Kentucky.
Robinson Jr. was originally headed to Highlands. After finding out he couldn’t graduate early in December in his original plans, Robinson Jr. headed to Beechwood to close out his high school career.
A senior year removed from lifelong friends in Miami, Robinson Jr. felt empty at times.
“I didn’t know it was hard until I started to experience it. I just didn’t know what to expect and around month three it started to take a toll on me and I missed my friends,” Robinson Jr. said.
Robinson Jr. said he’s grateful for the experience, winning a state title and doing something he never had…playing in the cold. He also experienced more diversity, something he’s been accustomed to his whole life.
“Being a black kid in a majority all-white school, down in Miami my high school was predominantly Hispanic kids, middle school was predominantly black so I’ve seen the 360 of diversity and that will benefit me in the long run,” Robinson Jr. said.
He’s headed to campus in early January and will start college classes on January 8. Robinson Jr.’s next goal…to be on the field come September when the Demon Deacons open their 2023 season with Elon College on September 2.
“This is something I’ve been working for my whole life. With my skillset being a lock down corner, the swagger I bring from Miami and the way I study the game at a high level, on a scale of 1-10, I feel like it’s a nine or 10 that I’ll get to play right away,” Robinson Jr. said. “I want to bring the leadership that they’re missing defensively and help them win an ACC championship.”
Having been in a similar position throughout the recruiting process, Robinson Sr. has helped guide his son through. Robinson Sr. was a member of the Green Bay Packers 2010 Super Bowl champions.
“My dad always told me go where you’re wanted and not where you’re tolerated,” Robinson Jr. said. “I had bigger offers, but with Wake Forest it was more the relationships than anybody else. They built a solid relationship with me from sophomore year on up.”
Robinson’s path is far from the traditional one, so much he’s the author of a book he’s releasing soon called ‘The Chosen Athlete, Becoming an Overcomer of Fear, Adversity and Depression’.
“It’s mostly about when I was playing in little league and middle school and not even making it on the field. Just overcoming adversity, continuing to work hard and play,” Robinson Jr. said.
The book will be available on antoniorobinsonjr.com.
Over the course of his four-year high school career, Robinson tallied 113 tackles, 13 tackles-for-loss, eight interceptions, 16 pass breakups, three forced fumbles and one fumble recovery. In his senior season at Beechwood, he totaled 54 tackles, nine tackles-for-loss, two interceptions and two forced fumbles. Robinson played both ways at times and tallied 147 rushes for 1,022 yards and 15 rushing touchdowns. He also caught 72 passes for 929 yards and 11 scores. He plans on majoring in exercise science.