Prior to every college football season, The Athletic’s Bruce Feldman releases his “Freaks List,” which is exactly what it sounds like — a list of the top athletic freaks in college football.
Navy junior nose tackle Landon Robinson has made the list each of the past two years, with the 6-foot, 285-pounder hitting 20 mph on the GPS and squatting 650 pounds. The entire country got a peek at his athleticism in the Army-Navy game on Dec. 14, when he executed a fake punt to help put the game away:
“When I’m on the field, everything that happens, I’m very calm with it,” Robinson said on Glenn Clark Radio Dec. 18. “It’s just one play at a time, just making sure I’m doing my job and making sure I’m making the right calls. When I got out there and I realized that it was time to make a play, I just took a breath and then saw the ball in and just took off with it.”
Of course, Robinson’s fumble could have flipped the result of the play, but teammate Colin Ramos was on the spot with the recovery.
“When I realized it wasn’t in my hands I was like, ‘OK, where is it?’ And then I saw the pile and I was like, ‘Let me just try to hop on and see if I can get a piece of it, but I’m just glad it worked out for us and Colin Ramos was trailing behind me,” Robinson said.
The Mids defeated the Black Knights, 31-13, for their first win against their archrivals in Robinson’s tenure in Annapolis. And because Navy had also beaten Air Force earlier in the season, the Mids captured the Commander-in-Chief’s Trophy for the first time since 2019.
Army head coach Jeff Monken trolled Navy in October, something Robinson and his teammates certainly noticed.
“It was definitely something that was fueling some guys,” Robinson said. “I usually try not to use that type of stuff to fuel my emotions, but it’s definitely something guys were using and definitely something that guys fell back on after the win.”
Regardless of whether Monken motivated him or not, Robinson was credited with 13 tackles and a forced fumble against Army.
“It means everything in the world. I had never beaten Army before. When I was looking up in the stands and soaking everything in, seeing my teammates celebrate, I was just so happy,” Robinson said. “I was so happy for the seniors as they go out with a win versus Army. They go out with a CIC. My biggest goal of the entire year, through the entire offseason, you think about these things.”
Navy improved to 9-3, its best mark since 2019. Robinson had been through two losing seasons in Annapolis prior to this year, with a coaching change mixed in. Ken Niumatalolo was fired as head coach following a loss to Army in 2022. Former defensive coordinator Brian Newberry took over for Niumatalolo.
Robinson totaled 28 tackles and four sacks in 2023 and took it to another level in 2024, posting 56 tackles, four sacks and two forced fumbles.
“Coming in seeing different changes that were going on, I was always thinking, ‘What can I do to help out? What can I do to help the team get better?’ I’m just so blessed and so thankful that I was able to help out,” Robinson said. “Just proud of the way this team has worked this entire offseason, this entire season to get where we are. Here we are at the end of the season accomplishing one of our biggest goals, so just so proud.”
Next, Navy faces Oklahoma in the Armed Forces Bowl on Dec. 27. The Sooners went 6-6 with wins against Temple, Houston, Tulane, Auburn, Maine and Alabama.
“I’ve never played an SEC team before, so I’m super excited to have that competition and play them,” Robinson said. “But it’s something [where] you just go out there one last time with your boys you worked with all season and just play your hearts out, so I’m super excited for that opportunity.”
For more from Robinson, listen to the full interview here:
Photo Credit: Michael Nance