With kickoff just days away, the Virginia football team still will have to wait to see if star linebacker Kam Robinson will be available for the season opener. The Cavaliers face NC State on Saturday at 3:30 p.m.
Robinson has been hopeful of a quick return throughout his recovery process following a torn ACL last season. He suffered the injury against Duke on Nov. 15. After surgery and a long offseason recovery, Robinson said at the ACC Kickoff event in July that he’d be ready to play by the time the NC State game rolled around in August.
Robinson remained on track throughout training camp and returned to contact drills as the final days of preparation arrived. Virginia has been cautious with his return to play timetable, though, and will use this final week of preseason to keep evaluating his readiness.
“He’ll be a game-time decision, but he’s back in practice, moving around, pretty much doing everything,” Virginia coach Tony Elliott said Tuesday. “This will be a big week, though, as we progress when you look at where his situation is. He’s tracking ahead of schedule based off of what you tend to look at timing-wise with an injury like his. But, man, he’s excited. He’s moving around, but it’ll be closer to game time. We’ve got to get through this week. These next couple days are big days to evaluate because we’ll be back in contact.”
Robinson finished third on the team last season with 64 tackles despite playing in just 8 games. For the year, he had 2 sacks, 2 quarterback hurries, 2 interceptions, a fumble recovery, a safety, and a blocked kick too. According to his VirginiaSports.com bio via Sports-Reference.com, the senior is the only Football Bowl Subdivision player in the last 20 years to record a blocked punt, interception return for touchdown, and fumble recovery in the same season.
Robinson enters this season with 199 tackles, 8 sacks, and 5 interceptions in his career.
The 6’2” linebacker returned interceptions for touchdowns twice last season. He turned a 47-yard interception return into points at Louisville and then added a 35-yard pick-6 at California later in the season. Both games ended up as UVA wins. By recording 2 INTs for touchdowns in the same season, he joined Randy Neal as the only Cavaliers to accomplish that feat. Notably, Neal's pair of pick-6's came in the same game against Virginia Tech during a 41-38 victory for the Hoos. Robinson has returned 3 of his 5 career interceptions for touchdowns. That puts him one behind Neal for the school record. Neal returned 4 interceptions for touchdowns in his career from 1991-1994.
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