SAN ANTONIO — UTSA head coach Jeff Traylor on Thursday announced that he has named Tommie Robinson as the program’s running backs coach.
Robinson boasts nearly four decades of coaching experience, including more than 30 years at the collegiate level as well as three-year stints with both the Dallas Cowboys (1998-2000) and the Arizona Cardinals (2010-12) in the NFL. A national championship-winning assistant with LSU in 2019, he has coached in more than 15 bowl games and also has NFL playoff experience. Among his former players coached are Devon Achane, Malcolm Brown, Clyde Edwards-Helaire, D’Onta Foreman, Johnathan Gray, Ronald Jones, Michael Irvin, LaDainian Tomlinson and Beanie Wells.
Robinson comes to San Antonio from Colorado, where he was the special teams coordinator and director of quality control in 2023 and 2024. He helped lead the Buffaloes to a 9-4 record and an appearance in the Alamo Bowl.
Prior to his time in Boulder, Robinson was the running backs coach at Texas A&M for three seasons. In 2022, Achane rushed for over 1,100 yards and led the SEC with 161.0 all-purpose yards per game en route to earning all-conference accolades. In 2021, the tandem of Isaiah Spiller and Achane came up just shy of 2,000 rushing yards, with Spiller surpassing the 1,000-yard milestone and Achane rushing for 7.0 yards per carry and leading the team with nine rushing TDs. In his first year, Spiller rushed for 1,036 yards and nine TDs in a COVID-shortened 10-game campaign. A&M finished with a 9-1 record — including an 8-1 regular-season mark against an All-SEC slate — capping the season with a 41-27 victory over nationally-ranked North Carolina in the Orange Bowl.
Robinson spent the 2017 through 2019 seasons at LSU, culminating in the Tigers capturing the national championship during his final year. His development of Edwards-Helaire helped spark the offense to historic heights during their national title run. Edwards-Helaire led the SEC in rushing touchdowns and posted over 2,000 yards from scrimmage, the most by any SEC running back, finishing with 1,414 rushing yards in 2019 after tallying 689 yards in his first two seasons.
In all three seasons at LSU, Robinson's running back room produced back-to-back-to-back 1,000-yard rushers in Derrius Guice, Nick Brossette and Edwards-Helaire. Guice accumulated 1,251 rushing yards to go with 11 TDs in 2017, while Brossette logged 1,039 yards and 14 touchdowns in 2018. In his first year at LSU, he guided Guice and Darrel Williams to a combined 2,071 yards and 20 rushing TDs.
Robinson, who was named the 2017 Pac-12 Recruiter of the Year by 247Sports, joined the LSU staff after spending the 2016 season at Southern Cal as the running backs coach and run game coordinator for Rose Bowl Champion Trojans. He was part of an offensive staff that saw USC average 34.4 points and 477.1 total yards per game, while running back and eventual NFL second-round draft pick Ronald Jones rushed for 1,082 yards and 12 TDs.
Robinson was the running backs coach at Texas in 2014-15. In his first season, behind the duo of Malcolm Brown and Johnathan Gray, the Longhorns posted 200-plus rushing-yard games in wins over Texas Tech and West Virginia. Brown, who ended his career No. 9 on the program’s all-time rushing yards list (2,678), had a team-best 708 yards on the ground and six touchdowns. He earned second team All-Big 12 honors from the league coaches and went on to sign as a free agent with the Rams following the 2015 NFL Draft. Gray was second on the team with 637 rushing yards and a team-high seven scores. In 2015, Robinson worked on the same UT staff as UTSA head coach Jeff Traylor and he coached former Texas running back and current UTSA assistant tight ends coach Tim Yoder. The offense piled up 2,698 yards and 27 TDs, averaging 5.1 yards per carry behind Foreman and Gray.
Robinson was the passing game coordinator and running backs coach at USC in 2013. He oversaw a unit that had four players gain more than 350 rushing yards, which helped the Trojans win six of their last seven games, including a 45-20 victory over Fresno State in the Las Vegas Bowl. Javorius ‘Buck’ Allen, the team’s leading rusher with 785 yards and 14 rushing scores (19th in the nation) earned All-Pac-12 honors. Tre Madden, who led the Pac-12 in rushing before getting injured, gained 703 yards on the season. In addition, first-year starting quarterback Cody Kessler ranked 26th nationally in passing efficiency (148.8 rating).
Robinson was the running backs coach for the Arizona Cardinals in 2010-12. He coached Beanie Wells, who became the first player in franchise history to rush for at least 1,000 yards and score 10 touchdowns. Wells also set the franchise record with 228 rushing yards against the Rams in 2011.
Prior to his stint with Arizona, Robinson spent three seasons (2007-09) as the running backs coach at Miami (Fla.), helping the Hurricanes reach the 2008 Emerald Bowl and 2009 Champs Sports Bowl. He tutored one of the most talented running back trios in the Atlantic Coast Conference in 2009 in Graig Cooper, Damien Berry and Javarris James with Cooper logging a team-high 695 yards and Berry posting a 6.6 yards-per-carry average and eight rushing TDs. In 2007, James and Cooper combined for 1,354 rushing yards and nine touchdowns. Cooper's 682 yards ranked fourth nationally in rushing among true freshmen, earning him Sporting News Freshman All-America honors. He followed up with a career-high 841 rushing yards in 2008, capturing team MVP honors. He also recruited and coached Lamar Miller, who was a fourth-round NFL Draft selection who made the 2018 Pro Bowl.
Robinson spent the 2006 season as the running backs coach at Memphis, where he tutored Joseph Doss, who finished his career as the fifth-leading rusher in school history.
He had a four-year stint as an assistant coach at Georgia Tech (2002-05) under Chan Gailey. He coached wide receivers for one season before becoming the Yellow Jackets’ tight ends coach, tutoring former NFL players John Paul Foschi and Darius Williams. During the 2002 season, Robinson worked with standout receivers Kerry Watkins and Will Glover.
Robinson spent the 2001 season as the running backs coach at Oklahoma State, where he worked with Tatum Bell, who was a second-round NFL Draft pick and went on to a five-year pro career.
Robinson was an offensive assistant with the Dallas Cowboys for three years (1998-2000), working with the wide receivers, including future Hall of Famer Michael Irvin, and special teams. Working under Gailey, the 1998 and 1999 Cowboys advanced to the NFL playoffs with the 1998 squad claiming the NFC East title.
Prior to his tenure in Dallas, Robinson coached TCU’s wide receivers for four years (1994-97). He mentored John Washington, who was an All-Southwest Conference pick in 1995 and went on to play in the NFL for Giants and Cowboys, and Jimmy Oliver, who played for the Chargers and Cowboys, as well as the Ottawa Roughriders in the CFL. In addition, Jason Tucker was one of his pupils and played professionally for two years for Dallas and seven for the Edmonton Eskimos of the CFL. He also aided in the development of running back LaDainian Tomlinson, who was a freshman during the 1997 season and went on to a highly-successful NFL career.
Robinson coached running backs at Utah State for two years (1992-93), helping the Aggies advance to the 1993 Las Vegas Bowl II, their first bowl appearance in 32 years and only the fourth in school history to that point. He coached Abu Wilson and Tai Gordon who were second team All-Big West Conference picks in 1992. Profail Grier was a first team all-league running back in 1993.
He began his college coaching career as a restricted earnings coach at Troy in the spring of 1991 and then moved on to become a graduate assistant that fall at Arkansas when the Razorbacks advanced to the Independence Bowl.
Robinson started coaching at the high school level, guiding Woodham High in Pensacola (Fla.) in 1986 and 1987 and his alma mater, Central High in Phenix City (Ala.), from 1988 to 1990.
During his various college stops, he also served minority coaching internships with the New Orleans Saints, St. Louis Rams, Dallas Cowboys and Miami Dolphins.
Robinson was a four-year letterman, three-year starter at strong safety and team captain as a senior at Troy, where he was a member of the 1984 Division II National Championship team. He played his final two seasons under Gailey in 1984-85.
Robinson earned his bachelor’s degree in criminal justice from Troy in 1985.
He and his wife, Lartonyar, have three children: sons Dantrell and Trey, and daughter Towanda.
-UTSA-