Travaris Robinson, the new Georgia defensive coordinator, had a busy few days following the retirement announcement of renowned Alabama head coach Nick Saban. That attitude was, of course, shared by much of the collegiate football world, but few outside of new Crimson Tide coach Kalen DeBoer understood Robinson’s situation.
Robinson took over at UGA shortly after Saban retired. He was previously Alabama’s cornerbacks coach and was regarded as one of the greatest recruiters on the Crimson Tide’s staff.
To DeBoer’s credit, when he got the Alabama head-coaching gig, he immediately brought Robinson back to Tuscaloosa to see if the up-and-coming coach might stay with the Tide as his new defensive coordinator. The two met on Sunday, but on Monday, ESPN’s Chris Low reported that despite DeBoer’s advances, Robinson will stick with Kirby Smart and run UGA’s defense next season.
That’s a huge win for Georgia, and for Alabama, the loss of Robinson can’t be understated. Retaining a coach and recruiter of Robinson’s skill set would have been a massive help for DeBoer as he transitions to life in Tuscaloosa.
Per ESPN’s Tom VanHaaren, though, Robinson could have also helped Alabama hang on to star safety Caleb Downs, who is undecided if he’ll return to Alabama in the wake of Saban’s retirement.
With Robinson staying at Georgia, it sounds like there’s a good chance Downs will leave Alabama.
That would be a pretty big blow for the Crimson Tide.
A former five-star safety recruit, Downs was selected as the SEC Freshman of the Year by the conference’s coaches after notching 107 tackles, 3.5 tackles for loss and two interceptions this past season for the Tide.
Notably, Robinson was one of Downs’ primary recruiters at Alabama, and the talented safety did play high school ball at Mill Creek High School in Hoschton, Georgia. In fact, Downs was the top 2023 recruit from the state of Georgia.
If he does indeed leave Alabama, it will be interesting to see how Robinson’s new role with the Bulldogs will factor into Downs’ next move.
