Navy nose guard Landon Robinson has been racking up the preseason accolades. Over the past month, the senior defensive captain has been named to the watch lists for the Nagurski Trophy (top defensive player), Outland Trophy (best interior lineman), Bednarik Award (best defensive player) and Lombardi Award (best lineman/linebacker).
However, the preseason plaudit that made Robinson most proud was being named to Bruce Feldman’s annual “Freaks” list for the third time. Feldman, a reporter for The Athletic and Fox Sports, has been compiling his “College Football Freaks List” since 2005.
Robinson was pleasantly surprised to be initially named to the list in 2023, checking in at No. 92 out of 100. At the time, the sophomore had yet to play a down of varsity football and had only recently switched from linebacker to nose guard.
Feldman had dug deep and discovered that Robinson had grown from 240 to 280 pounds and cited his impressive weightlifting figures.
“When I first heard about the list as a sophomore, I was surprised that anyone knew who I was. It was pretty cool that someone in the media knew how much I could squat or bench,” Robinson said.
It has been an upward trajectory ever since with Robinson ranking 48th as a junior then vaulting all the way up to No. 13 as a senior. Feldman described Robinson as a “stud” and noted that he was easily the strongest Navy football player with maximum lifts of 465 pounds on the bench press, 665 pounds in the squat lift and 350 for the power clean.
Robinson also has a 33-inch vertical leap and has been clocked at 20.13 mph on the Catapult machine. Jim Kiritsy, Navy’s strength and conditioning coach, used the word “miraculous” when discussing the various metrics posted by Robinson.
Robinson finds himself among elite company at the top end of Feldman’s “Freaks List.” Only four interior defensive linemen were ranked ahead of Robinson: Oregon’s A’Mauri Washington, Clemson’s Peter Woods, LSU’s Dominick McKinley and Penn State’s Zane Durant.
“It’s been great to go up the rankings each year and being 13th this year is an incredible honor,” Robinson said. “I’m extremely grateful to be listed among some great players in college football. There are a lot of outstanding defensive linemen on that list.”
As a plebe at the academy, Robinson could bench press 405 pounds and squat lift 600. He has steadily improved those numbers every year and could probably lift more weight if allowed to do so by Kiritsy.
“I’ve built those freak abilities through hard work and never being satisfied. You can never be too freaky in my mind,” he said.
Robinson remembers well the first time he broke 20 mph as measured by GPS technology. He wanted to be a member of the kickoff coverage unit and was told by assistant coach Mick Yokitis that hitting that speed was a requirement to do so.
“I took that as a challenge and said to myself let’s make this happen,” said Robinson, who was the only nose guard in the Football Bowl Subdivision to serve on that special teams unit.
After becoming the starting nose guard as a junior, Robinson was no longer allowed to continue with kickoff coverage. He misses the adrenaline that comes with doing so.
“Playing on kickoff coverage was awesome. I loved flying down the field at full speed. It was a great way to start the game because so much energy surrounds that opening kickoff,” he said.
Navy has found another way to utilize Robinson’s remarkable speed and athleticism — as a ball carrier. He has proven an impressive playmaker on fake punts, averaging 29 yards on three attempts.
Robinson delivered one of the signature plays of last year’s Army-Navy game, taking a direct snap and rumbling 29 yards downfield to set up a touchdown. He previously displayed superb acceleration and burst in breaking loose for a 34-yard gain against South Florida.
That dynamic running ability has Navy offensive coordinator Drew Cronic seriously considering using the 287-pound Robinson on short yardage and goal-line situations.
Teammates are awestruck by the combination of strength, power, speed and explosiveness Robinson possesses. Defensive tackle Griffen Willis plays alongside Robinson and marvels at some of the things he does during games.
“Landon is definitely a freak of nature. He’s a very large human being who can do some amazing things,” Willis said. “Some of the stuff Landon does out on the field don’t obey the laws of physics.”
There are plenty of weight room superstars whose strength does not translate into being an effective football player. Willis and defensive line coach Jerrick Hall said Robinson knows how to use his strength and power to make plays.
“Landon’s explosiveness that comes from the squat shows up when he explodes off the ball, strikes the offensive guard and knocks them off the ball,” Willis said.
“There is no doubt it shows up on the field. Landon’s got some go-go juice when he gets off the ball. He’s very, very explosive,” Hall said.
Robinson was named first team All-American Conference after totaling 61 tackles (5 ½ for loss), seven quarterback hurries, four sacks and two forced fumbles as a junior. He is determined to increase those numbers across the board while doing a better job in both passing and rushing situations.
“My pass rush game is definitely something I can improve. Just developing more moves to give it more variety,” said Robinson, who has been studying film of top interior pass rushers. “I can also improve as a run stopper as far as controlling my gap better and disengaging with blockers. We’re always looking to make more tackles for loss, so I’m working on ways to get more vertical penetration.”
Robinson has become accustomed to taking on double teams and takes pride in not only holding the point of attack, but still finding ways to make plays. All the attention he draws from opposing blockers helps free up Willis and other defenders.
Hall loves that Robinson has become so devoted to film study and critiquing his own play. Nobody works harder on the practice field with Robinson constantly setting an example by treating every repetition like he’s going against Army.
“I’ve learned that Landon is not going to let anyone outwork him. That mentality is what sets him apart from other players,” Hall said. “Landon has something you really can’t coach and it’s that desire and commitment to be great. He has a really high motor that never stops.”
NFL scouts have already been spotted patrolling the defensive practice field during August training camp to evaluate Robinson. He is considered a professional prospect despite being undersized both in terms of height and weight to play interior line at the next level.
Robinson studies tape of other nose guards and defensive tackles that have similar frames and said there is a common denominator for their success.
“They all use great technique, speed, strength and quickness to beat those taller offensive linemen. I need to lean on my technique and natural leverage,” he said.
Have a news tip? Contact Bill Wagner at bwagner@capgaznews.com, 443-534-0102 and x.com/@BWagner_CapGaz.
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