DB Javan Robinson traveled 4,000 miles to find a home in Arizona State's defense

Javan Robinson has traveled a lot.

After bouncing around from his hometown of Winter Garden, Florida, where he played at Apopka and West Orange High, to Pullman, Washington, where he was recruited by then Washington State defensive coordinator Brian Ward, and now to Tempe, Arizona State redshirt sophomore defensive back Javan Robinson has gone from coast to coast and is now settling into his new home in the desert.

That’s just over 4,000 miles of traveling for Robinson during his college career — from the Southeast to the Northwest and down to the Southwest. Despite the move and changing schools, Robinson has made the transition appear seamless with his familiarity with Ward’s 4-2-5 defensive scheme as he reunites with his former defensive coordinator.

“It’s been great,” Robinson said about Ward, who was hired at ASU last year. “I love it. Coming from this system, I’ve been at Washington State and it was the same thing. Picking up where I left off.”

Defensive backs coach Bryan Carrington has been working with Robinson since January when the 5-foot-11, 175-pound athlete arrived on campus.

He has watched as Robinson quickly assumed a teacher role despite his status as a newcomer.

“It’s a pleasure to have him,” Carrington said. “To have a player that was familiar with the scheme to come to us through the portal and be able to hit the ground running, be with us for spring ball. It allowed him to put his train on the tracks and get into the development of technique. He was able to come in — there wasn’t a learning curve — and lead some of the guys that were here.”

Carrington called Robinson “scrappy” and praised his short-space quickness and long speed.

“I feel like he’s a 4.3, 4.4 cornerback,” Carrington said. “He’s sticky in coverage. Glad to have a guy who can erase receivers. He’s very competitive, very challenging when it comes to all aspects of the route tree.”

Robinson is new to the program, but he can already sense the changing tide in the program as ASU looks to step out from the shadows cast by the previous regime following an NCAA investigation into COVID-19 season infractions.

The second year of the Kenny Dillingham era kicks off on Saturday, Aug. 31 — just under a week away.

“I feel like it’s a great culture,” Robinson said. “We established that all through spring. He told us the plan. He’s been around great teams. He’s coached great teams. So he knows what it looks like. He gave us the platform and I feel like we’ve been following it ever since.”

While the official depth chart has yet to be released, observations from preseason practice can paint a picture. And in that picture, Robinson looks to be a prominent figure. He has been getting first-team reps at practice at cornerback.

Last year, Robinson played behind two defensive backs — Jaden Hicks and Chau Smith-Wade — who were taken in the 2024 NFL draft.

It’s a full-circle moment for Robinson and his former defensive coordinator. Ward is looking forward to having Robinson in the fold.

“I saw him when he was a true freshman, we were up North together and just seeing his development, you always knew the talent was there,” Ward said. “He can obviously run like the wind, but he really has a high football IQ and he's really hungry for this moment right now. I'm really excited to see what kind of year he has.”

Robinson said he’s “light years” ahead of where he was at Washington State, adding speed and muscle to compliment his increased focus on studying the game.

“When you get that down, everything else becomes easy. You’re a step ahead,” he said.

Carrington anticipates Robinson being a major contributor.

“I’m expecting him to have a big year,” Carrington said. “We’re depending on him to have a big year for us. He’s doing some really good things. But all that really matters is the productivity on Saturdays in between the white lines. My group has a bunker mentality, let’s make everyone better – let’s iron sharpen iron. At the end of the day, it’s not about what you say. It’s about what you do, what’s captured on film. I’m excited about where Javan is right now in comparison to where he was in January. He’s taken a lot of extra steps.”

Logan Stanley is a sports reporter with The Arizona Republic who primarily focuses on high school, ASU and Olympic sports. To suggest ideas for human-interest stories and other news, reach out to Stanley at logan.stanley@gannett.com or 707-293-7650. Follow him on X, formerly Twitter: @LSscribe .

This article originally appeared on Arizona Republic: DB Javan Robinson traveled 4,000 miles to find a home in Arizona State's defense