Brian K. Robinson Jr. (born March 22, 1999), nicknamed "B Rob", is an American professional

football Football is a family of team sports that involve, to varying degrees, kick (football), kicking a football (ball), ball to score a goal (sports), goal. Unqualified, football (word), the word ''football'' generally means the form of football t ...

running back A running back (RB) is a member of the offensive backfield in gridiron football. The primary roles of a running back are to receive American football plays#Offensive terminology, handoffs from the quarterback to Rush (American football)#Offense ...

for the

Washington Commanders The Washington Commanders are a professional American football team based in the Washington metropolitan area. The Commanders compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member of the National Football Conference (NFC) East division ...

of the

National Football League The National Football League (NFL) is a Professional gridiron football, professional American football league in the United States. Composed of 32 teams, it is divided equally between the American Football Conference (AFC) and the National ...

(NFL). He played

college football College football is gridiron football that is played by teams of amateur Student athlete, student-athletes at universities and colleges. It was through collegiate competition that gridiron football American football in the United States, firs ...

for the

Alabama Crimson Tide The Alabama Crimson Tide refers to the college athletics in the United States, intercollegiate athletic varsity teams that represent the University of Alabama, located in Tuscaloosa, Alabama, Tuscaloosa. The Crimson Tide teams compete in the Na ...

, where he was a two-time national champion before being selected by the Commanders in the third round of the

2022 NFL draft The 2022 NFL draft was the 87th edition of the National Football League's annual NFL draft, draft and was held from April 28–30, 2022, at the Caesars Forum on the Las Vegas Strip in Paradise, Nevada, Paradise next to Las Vegas. The first round ...

. During his rookie pre-season, Robinson was shot twice, including in the knee, during an

armed robbery Robbery is the crime of taking or attempting to take anything of value by force, threat of force, or use of fear. According to common law, robbery is defined as taking the property of another, with the intent to permanently deprive the person o ...

and returned to the team two months later.

Early life

Robinson Jr. was born on March 22, 1999, in

Tuscaloosa, Alabama Tuscaloosa ( ) is a city in and the county seat of Tuscaloosa County, Alabama, Tuscaloosa County in west-central Alabama, United States, on the Black Warrior River where the Gulf Coastal Plain, Gulf Coastal and Piedmont (United States), Piedm ...

. He attended Hillcrest High School, where he rushed for 990 yards and 18 touchdowns as a senior and was named second team Class 6A All-State. Robinson was rated a four-star running back recruit and committed to play college football at the

University of Alabama The University of Alabama (informally known as Alabama, UA, the Capstone, or Bama) is a Public university, public research university in Tuscaloosa, Alabama, United States. Established in 1820 and opened to students in 1831, the University of ...

over offers from Auburn,

Georgia Georgia most commonly refers to: * Georgia (country), a country in the South Caucasus * Georgia (U.S. state), a state in the southeastern United States Georgia may also refer to: People and fictional characters * Georgia (name), a list of pe ...

Louisville Louisville is the most populous city in the Commonwealth of Kentucky, sixth-most populous city in the Southeast, and the 27th-most-populous city in the United States. By land area, it is the country's 24th-largest city; however, by populatio ...

Ole Miss OLE, Ole or Olé may refer to: * Olé, a cheering expression used in Spain * Ole (name), a male given name, includes a list of people named Ole * Overhead lines equipment, used to transmit electrical energy to trams, trolleybuses or trains Co ...

, and

South Carolina South Carolina ( ) is a U.S. state, state in the Southeastern United States, Southeastern region of the United States. It borders North Carolina to the north and northeast, the Atlantic Ocean to the southeast, and Georgia (U.S. state), Georg ...

, among others.

College career

In his collegiate debut against Vanderbilt, Robinson scored his first collegiate rushing touchdown in the 59–0 victory. As a freshman, Robinson rushed for 165 yards and two touchdowns as a reserve player behind

Najee Harris Najee Mzee Harris ( ; born March 9, 1998) is an American professional American football, football running back for the Los Angeles Chargers of the National Football League (NFL). He played college football for the Alabama Crimson Tide football ...

and

Josh Jacobs Joshua Cordell Jacobs (born February 11, 1998) is an American professional football running back for the Green Bay Packers of the National Football League (NFL). He played college football for the Alabama Crimson Tide and was selected by the Oak ...

as Alabama went on to win the 2018 CFP National Championship Game. In the 2018 season, Robinson carved out a role as Alabama's fourth running back. Robinson gained 272 yards and two touchdowns on 63 carries in his sophomore season. In the 2019 season, Robinson became Alabama's second running back, only behind

. As a junior, Robinson rushed 96 times for 441 yards and five rushing touchdowns while catching 11 passes for 124 receiving yards. In the 2020 season, Robinson continued to be the second running back to Harris. Alabama won their second national title during his time there. He totaled 91 carries for 483 rushing yards and six rushing touchdowns. Following Harris leaving for the NFL Draft, Robinson finally became Alabama's featured back as a fifth-year senior in 2021. Though hampered by injuries, Robinson roughly equaled his output of the previous four years, leading the

Southeastern Conference The Southeastern Conference (SEC) is a collegiate List of NCAA conferences, athletic conference whose member institutions are located primarily in the South Central United States, South Central and Southeastern United States. Its 16 members in ...

in carries and touchdowns. He dominated the Alabama backfield in terms of production. On October 2, against

, he had 36 carries for 171 rushing yards and four rushing touchdowns in the 42–21 victory. In the following game against

Texas A&M Texas A&M University (Texas A&M, A&M, TA&M, or TAMU) is a public university, public, Land-grant university, land-grant, research university in College Station, Texas, United States. It was founded in 1876 and became the flagship institution of ...

, he had 207 scrimmage yards in the 41–38 loss. In the next game against

Mississippi State Mississippi State University for Agriculture and Applied Science, commonly known as Mississippi State University (MSU), is a public land-grant research university in Mississippi State, Mississippi, United States. It is classified among "R ...

, he had 141 scrimmage yards and three total touchdowns in the 49–9 victory. In the next game, against

Tennessee Tennessee (, ), officially the State of Tennessee, is a landlocked U.S. state, state in the Southeastern United States, Southeastern region of the United States. It borders Kentucky to the north, Virginia to the northeast, North Carolina t ...

in the

Third Saturday in October The Third Saturday in October is an American college football college rivalry, rivalry game played annually by the Alabama Crimson Tide football, Crimson Tide of the University of Alabama and the Tennessee Volunteers football, Volunteers of the ...

, he had 26 carries for 107 rushing yards and three rushing touchdowns in the 52–24 victory. He was named the

most valuable player In team sports, a most valuable player (MVP) award is an honor typically bestowed upon an individual (or individuals, in the instance of a tie) whose individual performance is the greatest in an entire league, for a particular competition, or ...

of the

2021 Cotton Bowl Classic The 2021 Cotton Bowl Classic was a college football bowl game played on December 31, 2021, at AT&T Stadium in Arlington, Texas. The 86th edition of the Cotton Bowl Classic and the first of two College Football Playoff semifinal games, the game f ...

after rushing for 204 yards, a school record for a bowl game. He finished the 2021 season with 271 carries for 1,343 rushing yards, and 14 rushing touchdowns to go along with 35 receptions for 296 receiving yards and two receiving touchdowns.

Statistics

Professional career

Robinson was selected by the

in the third round (98th overall) of the

. He signed his four-year rookie contract on May 18, 2022. On August 28, 2022, Robinson was shot in the knee and glute during an

involving two men after leaving a restaurant in the

Near Northeast Near Northeast, also known as Néné, is a neighborhood in Northeast Washington, D.C. It is bounded by North Capitol Street to the west, Florida Avenue to the north, F Street to the south, and 15th Street to the east. History Early history It ...

neighborhood of Washington, D.C. shortly before 6p.m. EDT. He suffered no life-threatening damage and was discharged from

MedStar Washington Hospital Center MedStar Washington Hospital Center is the largest private hospital in Washington, D.C. A member of MedStar Health, the not-for-profit Hospital Center is licensed for 926 beds. Health services in primary, secondary and tertiary care are offered ...

the following day. Robinson missed the first four games of the season before making his NFL debut in Week 5 against the

Tennessee Titans The Tennessee Titans are a professional American football team based in Nashville, Tennessee. The Titans compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member of the American Football Conference (AFC) AFC South, South division. They play the ...

, where he rushed nine times for 22 yards. Robinson's first career touchdown came the following week against the

Chicago Bears The Chicago Bears are a professional American football team based in Chicago. The Bears compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member of the National Football Conference (NFC) NFC North, North division. They are one of two remaining ...

, a game-winner in the fourth quarter of a Commanders victory. He recorded his first career 100-yard rushing game in a Week 12 win over the

Atlanta Falcons The Atlanta Falcons are a professional American football team based in Atlanta. The Falcons compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member of the National Football Conference (NFC) NFC South, South division. The Falcons were founded o ...

. As a rookie, he appeared in 12 games and started nine. He finished with 205 carries for 797 rushing yards and two rushing touchdowns to go along with nine receptions for 60 receiving yards and one receiving touchdown. He was named the 2022 Inspiration of the Year by ''

Sports Illustrated ''Sports Illustrated'' (''SI'') is an American sports magazine first published in August 1954. Founded by Stuart Scheftel, it was the first magazine with a circulation of over one million to win the National Magazine Award for General Excellen ...

'' and voted Washington's

Ed Block Courage Award The Ed Block Courage Award is an annual award presented to a player from each team in the National Football League (NFL) who are voted for by their teammates as role models of inspiration, sportsmanship, and courage. Named in memory of Ed Block, a ...

winner. In Week 10 of the 2023 season, Robinson had six receptions for 119 yards and a touchdown in the 29–26 loss to the Seahawks. He started 15 games during the season, finishing with 178 carries for 733 rushing yards and five rushing touchdowns with 36 receptions for 368 receiving yards and four receiving touchdowns. In Week 2 of the 2024 season, Robinson had 17 carries for a new game-high of 133 rushing yards. He would record 101 rushing yards and a touchdown in the Week 4 win over the

Arizona Cardinals The Arizona Cardinals are a professional American football team based in the Phoenix metropolitan area. The Cardinals compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member of the National Football Conference (NFC) NFC West, West division. The ...

. In Week 13, he had his third 100+ yard performance with 103 rushing yards and a touchdown in the 42-19 win against the

. He finished the 2024 regular season with new career highs of 799 rushing yards and eight rushing touchdowns over 14 games. Robinson recorded 77 rushing yards and two rushing touchdowns in the 45-31 Divisional round win over the

Detroit Lions The Detroit Lions are a professional American football team based in Detroit. The Lions compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member of the National Football Conference (NFC) NFC North, North division. The team plays their home game ...

that advanced Washington to the

NFC Championship Game The NFC Championship Game is the annual championship game of the National Football Conference (NFC) and one of the two semifinal National Football League playoffs, playoff games of the National Football League (NFL), the largest professional Ame ...

Statistics

Personal life

Robinson is colloquially nicknamed "B Rob".

References

External links

*
Washington Commanders profile

Alabama Crimson Tide profile
{{DEFAULTSORT:Robinson, Brian Jr. 1999 births 21st-century African-American sportsmen 21st-century American sportsmen Alabama Crimson Tide football players American football running backs American shooting survivors Living people Players of American football from Tuscaloosa, Alabama Washington Commanders players