Coming off a record-setting season with 10 touchdowns, Kaedin Robinson was named as a receiver on the preseason All-Sun Belt First Team. He welcomes the honor as he holds himself to high expectations. He expects more records to be broken.
Raised in Brevard, which is 30 minutes outside of Asheville, Robinson was catching footballs as early as he could remember. He credits his father for sparking his affinity for the sport.
“I was probably three-years old catching passes; my dad would throw me the ball,” Robinson said. “It feels the same now, like being a kid out there playing football.”
Robinson went on to play football through high school and graduated from Christ School in Arden. He landed at ASA Community College in Brooklyn, New York, to continue his football career. After one season, he transferred to Central Florida.
“It felt right at the time,” Robinson said. “Me and that coaching staff had a great relationship.”
However, shortly after joining the Knights, head coach Josh Heupel left to accept a new position at Tennessee, leaving the talented wideout in search of a new home for a third time. That’s when he found himself at App State.
Coach Shawn Clark, an App State alumnus, became the head coach at the end of the 2019 season. Before that, he worked with the Mountaineers as an offensive line coach, a co-offensive coordinator, and an assistant coach.
“It was easy, honestly,” he said about transferring to App State. “Through high school, coach Clark was recruiting me, so we had developed a relationship for a long time. And home is two hours away so everything felt right.”
Robinson also credits graduate student running back Ahmani Marshall and junior receiver Michael Hetzel as friends on the team that made a new school feel welcoming.
Since joining the Mountaineers, Robinson has fit right in with the receiver room.
Through his time in Boone so far, he has totaled 94 receptions for 1,324 yards and 12 touchdowns. His 10 receiving touchdowns last year tied Corey Sutton for fifth most in a single App State season. One of those touchdowns was a moment Mountaineers fans may remember clearly, the overtime touchdown to beat an undefeated James Madison on College GameDay.
“Coming out of the timeout, I looked at coach Clark and said I’m going to score, we’re not leaving this stadium without a win,” Robinson said. “I was going underneath, Joey threw me the ball and I saw the defender. I try to not let one defender bring me down, so after he missed, it was just a footrace to the pylon.”
Robinson’s speed and agility were on full display during the play, as well as the trust senior quarterback Joey Aguilar has in him.
Aguilar was thrust into the starting quarterback role during the second quarter of the Mountaineers first game of the 2023 season. Aguilar and Robinson were immediately on the same page and stayed that way throughout the season. They hope to carry that chemistry over for their final season together.
He’s a juco kid too, so we relate,” Robinson said. “When he first got here we’d tell each other our juco stories and it’s been great ever since he’s been here.”
Robinson expects an even better year between the two of them. He has one goal in mind that he wants to achieve this season.
“I want to be the triple crown leader. Lead the league in receptions, yards and touchdowns,” Robinson said.
Only three receivers in the history of college football have won the triple crown. Jerreth Sterns, Devonta Smith and Michael Crabtree, who was the first to achieve the feat in 2007. Achieving this would cement Robinson’s legacy as a legend of the game.
He also said he is excited to showcase his speed, which he has been working to improve on this offseason, as well as his breaks on routes. Robinson said he has plans to continue his career after graduation.
“I’m definitely going to try for the NFL,” said Robinson. “I think that’s a really attainable goal.”
While he has these lofty goals, Robinson said he was grateful for what he gets to do. While talking about football, a smile would not leave his face.
“It’s a kids’ game and I’m blessed to be able to play it,” Robinson said.
