After rushing for 143 yards on 19 carries, scoring three touchdowns and forcing a fumble Saturday, Daryl Robinson exited Frankford Stadium with a frown on his face.
“A cheap shot man,” Robinson explained.
“Somebody hit me after the whistle.”
The North Catholic High senior frustrated himself Saturday with his team’s dismantling of Monsignor Bonner, 35-21.
But Robinson has been frustrating defenses in Philadelphia’s Catholic League all season.
One of Temple’s prized recruits, Robinson stars for North Catholic. There, he is the featured running back. He has collected 1,127 yards on 187 carries and 14 touchdowns this season.
Averaging about six yards a carry, Robinson’s top focus isn’t on offense.
Robinson’s bringing his laundry list of talent to Temple’s football team next fall, and likely on the defensive side of the ball.
“I like playing cornerback,” Robinson said.
“I could probably make it to the NFL playing corner, because there are a lot people of my size playing cornerback there.”
Recently rated the No. 1 cornerback in Southeastern Pennsylvania by “The Philadelphia Inquirer,” Robinson is considered a shut-down cornerback.
He has nine interceptions over the last two seasons. Many teams hesitate to throw to his side of the field.
Though he said he’s confident about his abilities, Robinson said he is also humbled by the accolades bestowed on him.
“It was nice to see that I was the top-ranked corner, but I wasn’t even worrying about that,” Robinson said. “I was worrying about my team.”
There was a time when college teams were worrying about him.
At one point, Robinson had committed to West Virginia. But he changed his mind over the summer and gave a strong verbal commitment to the Owls.
“I like all of the coaches,” Robinson said of his decision to choose Temple. “I really like coach [Al] Golden. He’s really cool.”
Robinson said he is still unsure of which position he will play at the next level, but he has a plethora to choose from.
In addition to his running back and cornerback duties, he has also played wide receiver and has fulfilled the Falcons’ punt return duties.
Though he is projected as a cornerback, Robinson still yearns to play running back.
“It’ll probably happen – me playing running back,” Robinson predicted. “Either that, or me playing receiver. It all depends on how big I get after the season.”
Standing at 5-9 and weighing 170 pounds, Robinson realizes he isn’t the biggest physical specimen on the field. So, he said, he relies on other attributes.
“My speed,” Robinson said. “I’ve got good recover speed, so I can play cornerback.”
His 4.58 time in the 40-yard dash verifies that.
But Robinson still has his eyes on the bigger picture.
“Whatever my team needs me to do, that’s what I’ll do,” Robinson said. “Whether it’s defense or special teams, I’ll do it.”
He’s also hopeful that others will follow him in his journey to Temple.
“I hope to bring a lot of other recruits here,” Robinson said. “Different recruits from different areas, other states and from Philadelphia.”
Robinson said there is one key aspect to which he will need to adapt.
“Game speed,” Robinson said. “Just getting used to the different game speed is going to be difficult. But that’s about it.”
Terrance McNeil can be reached at tmac32@temple.edu.
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