2023 Penn State football snapshot profile: No. 44 Chop Robinson
Going into the 2023 football season, Nittany Lions Wire will be looking at each scholarship player listed on the Penn State roster. Over the preseason, each profile will cover where the player is from, how recruiting websites rated them coming out of high school, and what role they will play for James Franklin this season.
Today is a look at Chop Robinson, a big-time edge rusher who is already drawing potential first-round draft buzz for the 2024 NFL draft. Robinson was a smash hit out of the transfer portal for the Nittany Lions in 2022 and could be lining up another season full of highlights and QB pressures this fall. Here is a look at one of Penn State’s top players on the roster for the upcoming 2023 season.
Preseason Player Profile
Hometown: Gaithersburg, MD
Height: 6-3
Weight: 253
247Sports Composite Ranking
[4 stars] [No. 3 in Maryland] [No. 4 overall edge rusher]
Class of 2021
Class in 2023: Junior
Chop Robinson was certainly on the radar for Penn State in the recruiting class of 2021 as one of the top-rated players in Maryland, but Penn State was not among the final teams in the running for Robisnon’s commitment. Robinson was a four-star recruit according to the 247Sports composite ranking, but 247Sports’ individual ranking gave him a fifth star and rated him as the top player overall in the state of Maryland. That made him a top priority and a prize recruit for Maryland head coach Mike Locksley, winning the commitment over Alabama and Clemson.
Robinson committed to Maryland in March 2020 and signed with the Terrapins in the early signing period for the Class of 2021. He did not enroll in the program until July 2021.
Penn State did host Robinson for a football camp and an unofficial visit in 2019, and the Nittany Lions were among the first offers in for Robinson earlier that year. When Robinson entered the transfer portal in March 2022, Penn State was once again in the running and quickly became the frontrunner. Two weeks after entering the transfer portal, Robinson committed to Penn State and joined the program just before the start of the 2022 season.
Career Stats
Games | Tackles | TFL | FF | INT | ||
2021 | 8 | 19 | 2.5 | 2.0 | 0 | 0 |
2022 | 12 | 26 | 10.0 | 5.5 | 1 | 0 |
Chop Robinson wasted little time in establishing himself on the Penn State defensive line after joining the program. Robinson was Penn State’s third on the team with 10.0 tackles for loss, just one shy of team-leading Adisa Isaac and half a TFL behind linebacker Abdul Carter. His 5.5 sacks were good for second on the team behind Carter as well. Robinson was a key player for Penn State’s aggressive defense in the Rose Bowl victory over Utah with 1.5 TFL for a loss of 10 yards, his best performance behind the line of scrimmage of the season (Robinson had 2.0 TFL for a loss of nine yards against Rutgers).
Depth Chart Overview
Heading into the 2023 college football season, Penn State’s defensive line appears to be in pretty decent shape. Chop Robinson will be cemented as a returning starter expecting to have a big contribution on the edge once again. Adisa Isaac is expected to lock down the other end of the line as a starter, leaving some good depth behind the two starters in the form of Danu Dennis-Sutton, Smith Vilbert, Zuriah Fisher, and Amin Vanover.
Penn State’s bigger concern up front may be in the middle of the line with the tackle positions, but veterans Dvon Ellies and Hakeem Beamon will likely handle those responsibilities. But Robinson on one edge and Isaac on the other could be trouble for opposing offenses this season.
