Who is Elijah Robinson? Texas A&M assistant takes over as interim coach after Jimbo Fisher

The news Sunday morning sent shockwaves throughout the college football world: Texas A&M had not only fired football coach Jimbo Fisher, but also was paying him a record $77.6 million buyout in the process.

Fisher failed to live up to the lofty expectations and opulent contract that greeted his arrival in College Station, going 45-25 overall and 27-21 in SEC play over the course of his tenure. Under Fisher, who led Florida State to a national championship in 2013, the Aggies never made an SEC championship game and finished in the top 15 of the final US LBM Coaches Poll just once.

With Fisher out, and with a buyout that nearly quadruples the previous record needing to be paid off, Texas A&M still has two games remaining on its 2023 regular-season schedule, meaning it will need someone to lead the way.

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In the hours after Fisher was ousted, that name was revealed.

Per numerous reports (first by ESPN's Pete Thamel), Aggies assistant Elijah Robinson will be the team’s interim head coach for its games against Abilene Christian on Nov. 18 and LSU on Nov. 25. That stint could include a bowl game, as well, as Texas A&M’s 51-10 victory Saturday against Mississippi State was its sixth of the season, making the Aggies bowl eligible.

The Aggies have assistants with experience as FBS head coaches on their staff, namely offensive coordinator Bobby Petrino, defensive coordinator DJ Durkin and offensive line coach Steve Addazio. All three have been mired in controversy at various points over their respective careers.

With Robinson now at the helm for the remainder of the 2023 season, here’s what you need to know about Texas A&M’s new leader:

Elijah Robinson coaching career at Texas A&M

Robinson has been at Texas A&M throughout Fisher’s tenure, as he was brought aboard in January 2018.

He has worn a number of different hats for the Aggies during his time in College Station. This season, he has worked as Texas A&M’s co-defensive coordinator, assistant head coach and defensive line coach. He also added the title of run game coordinator in January 2022. In his first four seasons, from 2018-21, he was the defensive line coach.

Robinson’s work with that line was impressive, allowing him to rise in the ranks and take on additional job titles and responsibilities. In 2021, the Aggies’ entire starting defensive line signed NFL contracts, with DeMarvin Leal and Micheal Clemons getting selected in the third and fourth round, respectively.

The previous season, he helped coach a Texas A&M defense that finished ninth in the FBS in total defense, giving up just 317.3 yards per game. That mark ranked it first among SEC teams. The defensive line he coached helped the Aggies hold opponents to just 3.25 yards per carry, the 12th-best mark in the FBS. That season was Fisher’s best at Texas A&M, as his team went 9-1, won the Orange Bowl and finished No. 4 in the final Coaches Poll.

For all of the program’s broader struggles, the Aggies’ defense, and its defensive line in particular, has performed well this season. Through its first 10 games, Texas A&M is No. 12 in total defense (290.9 yards allowed per game), No. 31 in scoring defense (20.4 points allowed per game), No. 9 in yards per carry allowed (3.05), No. 1 in sacks (39) and No. 1 in tackles for loss (88).

Robinson has excelled on the recruiting trail for the Aggies, as well. Of the eight five-star players Texas A&M signed as part of its record-setting 2022 recruiting class, Robinson was the primary recruiter of four. All were defensive linemen: Walter Nolen, Gabriel Brownlow-Dindy, LT Overton and Anthony Lucas.

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Elijah Robinson coaching career before Texas A&M

For someone in his early 30s by the time he was hired by Fisher in 2018, Robinson already had a lengthy coaching resume, with previous stops at Baylor, Temple and Penn State.

He came to Texas A&M from Baylor, where he spent the 2017 season as the Bears’ defensive line coach. He coached at Baylor under Matt Rhule, whom he had spent the previous three seasons with at Temple, also as a defensive line coach.

During those two stints, Robinson coached seven players who earned all-conference honors. At Temple, three defensive linemen earned all-American Athletic Conference first team accolades, including Haason Reddick, who was a second-team All-Pro last season with the Philadelphia Eagles.

In 2016, Temple was No. 25 in the FBS in rush defense (130.36 yards per game) and No. 21 in rushing yards allowed per attempt (3.58) while matching a program single-season record with 10 wins.

Prior to linking up with Rhule, Robinson was on the staff at Penn State, his alma mater, for eight seasons. He was a graduate assistant for three seasons, from 2009-11, and was the Nittany Lions’ director of community relations and an NFL liaison for two seasons, from 2012-13, under then-coach Bill O’Brien.

Elijah Robinson playing career

A Camden, New Jersey native, Robinson was an all-state defensive tackle at Woodrow Wilson High School. In 2002, he helped lead his team to a 15-0 record and a state championship.

He signed with Penn State and then-coach Joe Paterno, where he played for two seasons before his career was cut short after he suffered a neck injury during spring practice in 2006. He earned a bachelor’s degree in 2008 and his master’s degree in 2012.

This article originally appeared on Nashville Tennessean: Who is Texas A&M interim football coach Elijah Robinson?