“The blood, sweat and tears were all worth it:” Jammie Robinson talks final FSU year, lessons from Norvell ahead of Senior Bowl

Feb 3, 2023 - 12:00 PM

The path to the NFL for many prospects runs through Mobile, Alabama, where college football veterans get a chance to compete directly against their fellow draft prospects at the annual Senior Bowl.

Florida State star defensive back Jammie Robinson’s journey is no different.

The two-time first-team All-ACC safety will likely hear his name called at April’s NFL Draft — not a question of if but when.

The Seminoles star currently ranks out in the top 10 at his position in many rankings, but he’s getting plenty of buzz from Senior Bowl practices and his FSU film as scouts to turn their full focus from the postseason to draft prospects.

He told the Seminole Wrap crew — Brian Pellerin, Max Escarpio and Jon Marchant — that while he’s happy to start to get the process going and encouraged by scouts telling him he’s capable of playing multiple positions at the next level, he’s focused on making sure when it comes to the masses, people stop sleeping on his talents.

“Just trying to be the best version of myself — that’s the main thing, that’s what Coach Norvell always told me, and I pride myself on that.”

“[I’m] trying to play multiple positions and be versatile, listen and be coachable, lock in and know the techniques.”

As the Noles defensive leader, it wasn’t clear if Robinson was even going to return to Tallahassee. He was draft-eligible a year ago and certainly had the opportunity to hear his name called on draft day.

But he decided on another year in Tallahassee and another year to grow into more into a tone-setting role as an experienced player.

“I didn’t want to come back just to come back — I wanted to be a vocal leader. I’ve always been a guy that leads by example but I felt like I needed to step up my role and be that for my brothers.”

He credits a lot of that growth to the main leading The Climb at Florida State, Mike Norvell. Norvell has faced a decent amount of criticism for two underwhelming seasons to start, but that changed in 2022 as the program rebounded to a 10-win season.

Robinson compared that 10th win to feeling like a Super Bowl victory compared to the tough seasons the team had the years before — “we had a lot of moments that we went through, and then just knowing that the blood, sweat, and tears were all worth it.”

He had plenty of major moments over the course of the season, perhaps most notably encapsulating Florida State’s beatdown over Miami in a single play. After the game, his mom made sure to drive the final dagger in the heart of Coral Gables — something that he says is par for the course for his mom who has never been shy about propping him up throughout his journey.

“She’s supported me my entire life — she’s the reason I do what I do, so I’m not a star, she’s the star in my eyes.”

One of the key pieces in that turnaround per Robinson was Norvell’s consistent approach. They knew the head man coming through the doors every day was going to give them his best and hold himself accountable while also truly caring for the men in his locker room — something that Robinson experienced first-hand as his mom struggled to bounce back from a house fire.

“I had to face a lot of adversity, but Coach Norvell was always there for me...I always felt the love when I got there.”

“He’s the same guy every day — even if we lose, he’s coming in the same person, he’s not different. He’s going to keep that same smile, same energy, and that reflected off me and ending up changing how I approach life.”

“I never had a coach who just every day, was the same, everyday attention to detail, attention to the smallest things...it’s so crazy because as I look back at it now, I took all that he taught me and I use it in my everyday life, honestly. At the end of the day, you have to be responsible for the things and the actions that you do.”

“He loves everybody the same, treats everybody the same, holds everybody accountable the same — he holds himself accountable. There have been plenty of times where he’s told the team, “that’s on me,” he always took accountability for everything, and I looked up to that and I try to take that and use that.”

You can catch Jammie continue chasing to make his dream a reality on Saturday during the Senior Bowl on NFL Network and catch the full interview below, as well as on iTunes, Spotify, Amazon, Google Podcasts, Stitcher, or wherever you listen to your shows.