— By Sean Manning, The Dominion Post
MORGANTOWN, W.Va. — Jabril Robinson, the new guy on the WVU defensive line, has something that the rest of his Mountaineers teammates do not — a national championship ring.
Gold, trimmed in orange, and bearing a College Football Playoff championship trophy behind a diamond-encrusted Tiger paw — the ring was earned by Robinson as a part of Clemson’s 2016 national title team.
While he didn’t record a tackle in the game, Robinson added to a defensive line that was one of the deepest in college football. That’s the reason he is now with the Mountaineers as a graduate transfer, and seeking a chance to finally start as a senior.
Robinson’s new teammates haven’t overlooked the fact he played in the CFP three times in four years.
“That just makes us want to get another one,” Ezekiel Rose said. “He brings energy because we know that he has a national championship ring and he knows what it takes to get there. He knows what energy to bring, what time to do what, and he’s a very vocal guy.
“He loves to talk, but I can sit there and listen to him. He brings positive messages every time he talks.”
Robinson’s addition to the roster was crucial because of depth concerns the defensive line faced throughout the offseason. End Adam Shuler transferred to Florida and tackle Lamonte McDougle headed west to Washington State.
That left only three scholarship linemen this spring — Rose, Reese Donahue and Darius Stills. But in April, Kenny Bigelow Jr. announced he was heading from USC to WVU as a grad transfer. A wide body who can plug the middle, Bigelow has suffered through knee injuries his entire career, but could be healthy enough to help on the interior.
“Kenny is a real good guy,” Rose said. “He doesn’t say much, but when he does, he speaks louder than anyone. He’s a very good kid and can be explosive for such a big guy.”
At USC the 6-foot-3, 300-pound Bigelow suffered a season-ending knee injury as a redshirt freshman in 2014, and sustained another torn ACL in 2016 during spring practice.
He played in six games last season with the Trojans.
“He’s been working on it really well, you can’t even tell he’s been injured at all,” Rose said. “He’s been working hard since he’s been here and he’s fitting in well.”
As for Rose himself, he’s in a different place than last year. Coming from East Mississippi Community College, he projected to add depth at defensive end, yet became a fixture in the starting lineup toward the end of the season and finished with 23 tackles. That included a team-leading 4 1/2 sacks, two pass breakups, one interception and a forced fumble.
Once he realized he puts his “pants on one leg at a time like everyone else,” Rose knew he could play at a Power 5 school. Now, it’s just a matter of honing his craft.
“I just want to bring more energy to the team — in the meetings, to competitions, to everything we do,” he said. “I’m going to reach into my toolbox and pull out the tools that I have to make myself better. That’s what we all need to do if we want to make this work.”