THS’s Robinson a monster on the gridiron, track field

Thibodaux High School football player and track and field athlete Gregory Robinson wasn’t always the biggest kid on the block.

But you probably wouldn’t be able to tell if you took a quick look at him and his massive figure.

That frame is a far cry from the self-described “scrawny and skinny” child Robinson said he was growing up.

“I was scrawny and skinny, but fast as a kid,” Robinson said. “I wasn’t always this big. I can promise you that.”

Robinson grew up in Thibodaux for the early part of his life. As a youngster, Robinson described himself as an active kid and a “ball of energy.” But he never played any organized sports growing up.

“I was always running around, but I wasn’t necessarily always into sports and stuff,” he said. “Maybe some stuff in the backyard here and there, but never anything with a referee and coaches or anything.”

Robinson’s family moved to Houston during his sixth grade year, and he lived there for two years.

Everything may truly be bigger in Texas, because the little skinny and fast kid became a monster in the Lone Star State – growing closer to his current 6-foot-5-inch and more than 300-pound frame.

“I just kind of blew up in Texas,” he said. “I don’t know how to explain it. It’s just one of those crazy things.”

Robinson’s family moved back to Thibodaux during his eighth grade year, and he got into athletics his first year at Thibodaux High School as a freshman, thanks to some persuasion from his friends.

“I walked into the halls of West Thibodaux and saw all of these people I had grown up with again for the first time since I was back,” Robinson said. “And some of my old friends were like, ‘Oh my God, Greg, you’re so big. What happened to you? You’ve got to come out for football.’ So I signed up and went from there. That’s how it started.”

The beginning wasn’t always easy for Robinson on the gridiron, and he struggled for playing time in the early portion of his career. But he was given a chance to see more time last year as a junior, moving from defensive line to the offensive line.

That move paid huge dividends for both the 300-pounder and the Tigers as he was a dominant offensive lineman.

“I started out and sat on the bench,” Robinson said. “But I kept working on it and got better. I finally got my shot, and I took advantage of it.”

Robinson’s dominant junior season has put him in a position to be one of the most highly recruited players in the state in 2011.

Recruiting analyst Sonny Shipp with recruiting Web site Scout.com said Robinson is the No. 4-ranked guard in the country next season and is currently a four-star prospect.

But the analyst also said he may translate more to an offensive tackle at the next level.

“When you look at him, he looks like a tackle with that frame,” Shipp said. “He’s a 6-foot-5 guy and he has long arms with really good feet. He’s a great athlete for a kid that big. When he got to the offensive side of the ball last year, it was a perfect fit for him.”

Shipp said coaches are amazed at the success Robinson has had in his career because of the late start he got in football.

“The sky is the limit for him,” Shipp said. “It will be so interesting to see how much more he will develop once he gets out to all of the camps over the summer and gets his last season under his belt. He’s going to be a really good one.”

But along the way, Robinson has used his brute strength and technique to take up dominance in track and field.

Robinson recently won the district championship in the shot put with a 54-foot, 6-inch throw. He finished second in the state last year in the event with a 52-foot throw and is gunning for the title this time around.

But despite his success in track, Robinson said football is where his heart will always be.

“Track is great, but it’s not a team sport,” he said. “You just do your own thing and there’s no teamwork. I love the camaraderie of football.”

So far, Robinson has a college football who’s who of scholarship offers. He said he’s been offered by LSU, Alabama, Arkansas, Florida State, Auburn, USC, Nebraska, Oklahoma and countless other programs.

The junior said he was leaning heavily to LSU initially, but a recent trip to Auburn has made the two run stride for stride.

“I felt like I had made a decision, but now I’m going to push it back, because I want to look at it again and take some more visits,” Robinson said. “I’m going to really look into other colleges and probably look into deciding after football season next year.”

Thibodaux junior Gregory Robinson uncoils as he heaves the shot put at a meet earlier this month. Robinson is a dominant athlete in both track and football, where he is receiving interest from several prominent programs. * Photo by CASEY GISCLAIR