The change of life amid the coronavirus outbreak has meant adjusting to a different lifestyle. For future college football players, that means less time being able to prepare for the fall season. Rutgers class of 2020 wide receiver signee Ahmirr Robinson of Union High (Union, N.J.) has seen a complete switch in his day-to-day activities, especially when it comes to training.
“It is pretty bad. I haven’t felt like this in a while. I can’t work out, can’t do what I want,” Robinson said. “I just try to stay in shape the best way I can, push-ups and stuff. I have a field nearby I could go to, but my parents warned me about being outside.”
Robinson has also seen his work hours at Five Guys cut down.
“I haven’t had nothing to do in a while,” he said. “My job has been starting to give me less and less hours because less people are going there. Sooner or later though, it is probably going to close.”
Schoolwork is now being done at home, although Robinson is able to communicate with the Rutgers coaching staff.
“I heard from all of them, my wide receivers coach [Tiquan Underwood] especially,” Robinson said. “He told me to just stay home and do as much as I can because by the time we get out of this, it is going to be time to go. So I need to be ready regardless. Coach Schiano sent us episodes of the workouts they do there and just stuff to keep us too busy, but it’s nothing too crazy.”
Robinson was the second commit among the Rutgers class of 2020 signees and his arrival date at Rutgers is scheduled for June. Now, the idle time and uncertainty regarding the future is forcing things to play out unexpectedly.
“It is frustrating because I am new to this whole getting to college thing,” Robinson said. “It is a new beginning and now it is postponing. I don’t know what to expect.”
While Robinson will be stepping into a position where he could contribute as a true freshman, the recent postponements and inevitable delays may impact his first season at Rutgers.
“Redshirting is one of the things that crossed my mind,” Robinson said. “Even if they say I am ready, I want to feel ready and give them my best product and the best results. That will something I will have to talk about with coach Schiano. From what I am hearing, they want me to go right away.”
While Robinson and his fellow incoming freshmen teammates are forced to play the waiting game, they are staying in contact.
“Everybody is locked in. We are ready to start, every time I go to work out at Rutgers, everybody is there getting their workout in,” Robinson said. “This class is definitely a working class and I can’t wait to see what the progress is going to be.
On the Thursday before everything shut down at Rutgers, Robinson was on campus.
“We were doing our regular workout routine and they got the call when I was there saying practice was going to be canceled,” he said. “The spring game is canceled too, this thing is just taking a toll on everybody. And now, everybody is pretty bored. My coaches are always asking me what I am doing and I am asking what they are doing. We are just all waiting to see what the outcome is.”
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