Tennessee football adds commitment from 2023 in-state DE Nathan Robinson

Hybrid defensive ends are a big part of Tim Banks’ system, and Tennessee football lost two such players from last year’s team. After adding multiple players in that role in the Vols’ 2022 recruiting class, Josh Heupel has added an in-state kid who could fill that role in his 2023 class.

Nathan Robinson, a three-star across the board out of Greenbrier High School in Robertson County, Tenn., part of the Nashville metro area, committed to Rocky Top Monday morning. He is the Vols’ sixth commitment for next year.

Standing in the range of 6’5″ to 6’6″ and weighing in the range of 243 to 268 pounds, Robinson is listed as an outside linebacker on Rivals, a defensive lineman on 247Sports and On3 and a defensive end on ESPN. He announced his decision to join Tennessee football on Twitter.

Given his range, it’s possible that Robinson at the. next level plays the role of a Byron Young, Roman Harrison or a Tyler Baron, players who can line up at outside linebacker or defensive end, or of a Caleb Tremblay or Ja’Quain Blakely, players who can play end or tackle. It depends on where he’s the best fit.

Tremblay and Blakely are both gone, and despite two similar commitments for 2022 in that role, the Vols could certainly use more help there. Young, Harrison and Baron will all be gone by 2024, so a guy like Robinson is a huge help on that front as well.

Either way, Robinson brings a lot to the table given his versatility, and he’ll certainly provide more depth up front in either rotation. His height could turn out to be a huge benefit for UT. Here is a look at his highlight reel.

As you can see, Robinson’s versatility is really on display at the level he plays at, but he mostly appears to be playing edge rusher. However, he has shown he could play in the middle too as a linebacker, and he’s got great instincts and an ability to fill the gaps.

Taking that into account, despite not being highly rated, Robinson is a great pickup for Tennessee football. After struggling last year in the state, Robinson makes for three of six commitments to Rocky Top in 2023 being from within the state, so Heupel is doing much better on that front so far.