Best in the country? Why Penn State football's Chop Robinson will be 'a scary sight'

Chop Robinson was a really large baby.

The Penn State football star-to-be smiled when asked to reveal his birthweight: 14 pounds.

His father said he looked like a baby sumo wrestler.

Robinson saw the photos, heard the stories: "I was no neck, no elbows, no knees. Everything was just rolls."

Soon enough, family, friends and neighbors in Germantown, Maryland began calling Demeioun Robinson "Pork Chop."

It was the beginning of his earn-your-place, learn-the-hard-way kind of growing up, the third-youngest of 10 in a blended family. One, he said, that led him well to now.

“Everybody was definitely super tough on me at home. I hated it growing up because even getting in fights I’d know I’m going to lose and I hated losing against them," Robinson said of his siblings. "Honestly, it was a blessing for me because it helped me get through life, taught me so many things when I was so young, and I was able to grow up fast."

Moving from Maryland to Penn State

Those beliefs would be tested tough, and then proved out, in the spring and summer of 2022.

By then, Robinson had long lost his baby fat and reshaped his body. He had grown so tall and lean by junior high that he was forced to change his nickname out of necessity.

"I just took the Pork out and kept the Chop," he said.

So it was, everyone calling him "Chop" in high school, where he set Quince Orchard's sack record and grew into an Under Armour All-American defensive end.

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By then, he was 6-foot-3 and 220 pounds and began receiving scholarship offers from the likes of Alabama, Georgia and USC.

And then COVID hit.

It shut down recruiting visits and canceled his senior football season. He certainly wasn't going to commit to a college he couldn't see and feel or, in the end, one too far from home.

It ultimately came down to Penn State and Maryland. He said Nittany Lion coaches, back then, viewed him as a linebacker. Maryland said it would give him a shot at defensive end.

He chose the hometown Terps.

"I thought my best position was getting to the quarterback. I knew that was my specialty and I wasn't going to switch for nothing."

And yet, soon after arrival, Maryland's coaches stuck him at linebacker, too. Turns out the kid with the largest start in life wasn't big enough, after all, to play the position he really wanted.

That's what led him into the NCAA Transfer Portal last spring. And, sure enough, Penn State head coach James Franklin reached out quickly and pursued hard. Robinson had put on just enough weight, up to 235, and owned a crucial year of college experience.

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The Nittany Lions promised to give him a shot at defensive end, this time.

He paid it back immediately, rewarding their trust — and far beyond the look of his base statistics and commendations: (26 tackles, 10 tackles for loss, 5.5 sacks; honorable mention All-Big Ten). Those things only hinted at his unique ability to pressure opponents, forcing them into rushed decisions and crushing mistakes.

Chop Robinson: Best pass rushing numbers

There were other ways to measure his Penn State debut. Pro Football Focus, for instance, claims that Robinson led all Power Five edge defenders last year in overall grade (90.6) and pass-rushing grade (92.4). It rates him as the No. 3 edge rusher in the country to start this season.

There's also the belief that Robinson has far more to offer beyond his sophomore efforts in 2022. He admits to gradually learning improved pass rushing techniques and honing new moves, all which come with experience.

He swears that a full year in Penn State strength and conditioning program has made him stronger and faster, particularly with his first steps from his pass-rush stance. He's been clocked at 4.47 seconds over 40 yards, stunning for his size.

“I definitely got way faster than I was at 240 pounds," he said. "Once (this season) comes, it’s going to be different than what it was last year. Way faster than last year."

Which brought this reaction from Penn State defensive coordinator Manny Diaz, who's regarded as one of the nation's leading experts on defensive matters:

"Thinking about a guy like Chop playing faster is a scary sight."

No. 1 battle: Olu Fashanu vs. Chop Robinson

Then consider teammate and All-America offensive tackle prospect Olu Fashanu. The pair go against one another regularly in practice.

"He's even faster now ... there's definitely a change in that," Fashanu said. "I already thought he was pretty unblockable for other teams, but this year's going to be a different story."

Robinson' size, paired with that speed, makes him so special. He's added another 10 to 12 pounds since the end of last season, pushing him past the 250-pound mark. Even so, he still looks lean, which allows him to bend and turn in oddly-successful pass-rushing forms.

It certainly appears that everything's in order for a national breakout season. The Athletic's Bruce Feldman ranked him No. 9 on his annual "College Football Freak's List" — highest among six Nittany Lions selected (most of any team).

Robinson's already being targeted as a potential first-round NFL Draft choice next spring.

Of course, he must first prove to be just the best rusher on his own team. There should be high competition, to start, from fellow defensive ends Adisa Isaac and former 5-star recruit Dani Dennis-Sutton and 250-pound linebacker star Abdul Carter.

No matter, the polite, soft-spoken Robinson still sounds as the part of the most confident Lion in his ability and expectations. He believes he is supremely prepared.

Best pass rusher in the country?

"Definitely," Robinson answered without hesitation. “My mindset is that no matter who's in front of you, nobody can block you, nobody can stop you. Just having that mindset pushes you."

His father, John Robinson, confirmed those notions, saying Chop always was the most persistent and maybe toughest of his large brood.

"You see that Animal Planet stuff," he said, "the lion siting in the grass, watching all the action?

"But when the time comes to attack, he attacks. Chop has the heart of a lion."

Frank Bodani covers Penn State football for the York Daily Record and USA Today Network. Contact him at  fbodani@ydr.com and follow him on Twitter @YDRPennState.

This article originally appeared on York Daily Record: Penn State football: Chop Robinson with James Franklin in Big Ten