West Virginia football: 5 breakout players to watch in 2018

MORGANTOWN, WV - OCTOBER 28: J.D. King #27 of the Oklahoma State Cowboys rushes against Kenny Robinson #2 of the West Virginia Mountaineers at Mountaineer Field on October 28, 2017 in Morgantown, West Virginia. (Photo by Justin K. Aller/Getty Images)
MORGANTOWN, WV - OCTOBER 28: J.D. King #27 of the Oklahoma State Cowboys rushes against Kenny Robinson #2 of the West Virginia Mountaineers at Mountaineer Field on October 28, 2017 in Morgantown, West Virginia. (Photo by Justin K. Aller/Getty Images) /
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MORGANTOWN, WV – OCTOBER 28: J.D. King #27 of the Oklahoma State Cowboys rushes against Kenny Robinson #2 of the West Virginia Mountaineers at Mountaineer Field on October 28, 2017 in Morgantown, West Virginia. (Photo by Justin K. Aller/Getty Images)
MORGANTOWN, WV – OCTOBER 28: J.D. King #27 of the Oklahoma State Cowboys rushes against Kenny Robinson #2 of the West Virginia Mountaineers at Mountaineer Field on October 28, 2017 in Morgantown, West Virginia. (Photo by Justin K. Aller/Getty Images) /

Maybe the most interesting returning Mountaineer, this former three-star recruit will be one of the best players in the country sooner rather than later. Kenny Robinson played in 11 games for WVU as a true freshman and was 6th on the team in tackles.

Robinson had three interceptions and returned two of them for touchdowns, while also adding three pass deflections to a budding resume. Stats aren’t the best measure for a college defensive back, but Robinson shows up when you watch the tape, too.

One Robinson interception — returned 96-yards for West Virginia’s first score versus Texas — gave the Mountaineers a needed boost after quarterback Will Grier left the game with an injury.

And that’s where Robinson sets himself apart — his ability to make plays. You’ve seen his ability to turn a pick into immediate points, but Robinson’s not afraid to get mixed up in the run game either.

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Standing 6-foot-3, Robinson might be thought of as having tackling issues; quite the opposite is true. Robinson routinely lifted running backs from their feet with a technically sound tackle as a true freshman. Don’t expect that characteristic to disappear, as Robinson will weekly make game-changing for the WVU defense.