Auburn's offensive rejuvenation on hold as starting RB Jovon Robinson dismissed
Auburn's Jovon Robinson was expected to be the team's starting running back in 2016
Auburn coach Gus Malzahn announced Wednesday that running back Jovon Robinson has been dismissed from the team.
"I dismissed Jovon Robinson from our football team today," Malzahn told reporters, including AL.com, saying that Robinson "did not meet my standards" and that there are "going to be no distractions" for the Tigers this season.
According to ESPN.com's Brett McMurphy, Robinson was dismissed due to "continued inattention to detail in everything," which is code for missing classes and team meetings.
Robinson was expected to be Auburn's starting running back this season after rushing for 639 yards in 2015.
Here's what you need to know about Robinson's dismissal.
1. Robinson had a very strong finish to the 2015 season, leading to his expected ascension to the top of the depth chart: Robinson spent some time in Malzahn's doghouse last summer for various reasons, and because of it, he had a slow start to the 2015 season. Through Auburn's first seven games, Robinson appeared only twice with four carries for 20 yards.
Then came Auburn's game against Ole Miss. Robinson received 18 carries and rushed for 91 yards, and he took off from there. He rushed for at least 90 yards in five of Auburn's last six games, including a 159-yard performance against Texas A&M and 126 rushing yards against Memphis in the Birmingham Bowl.
As such, he entered camp atop the depth chart for the Tigers in 2016.
2. Now that he's gone, Auburn doesn't have much experience at running back .Peyton Barber led Auburn with 1,017 rushing yards last season, but he's moved on to the NFL. Roc Thomas, who rushed for 261 yards last season, transferred to Jacksonville State. That leaves sophomore Kerryon Johnson -- whom Malzahn had working with the first team in practice in Robinson's absence -- and freshman Malik Miller. Kameron Martin, a four-star member of Auburn's latest recruiting class, just joined the team this summer, though it's possible he could take on a bigger role than Auburn had been planning to give him.
Of that trio, only Johnson has seen time in a game, rushing for 208 yards on 52 carries last season. An injury to any of them -- and running backs take a lot of hits -- would leave Auburn awfully thin at one of its most important positions.
3. This may affect the quarterback battle. While this is purely speculation, having such limited experience at running back could lead to Auburn wanting a more mobile quarterback in 2016. Neither Jeremy Johnson nor Sean White, who are both back this season, were very effective runners for the Tigers in 2015.
That could mean that incoming transfer John Franklin III has another avenue to playing time with the Tigers. Given how creative Malzahn has always been with his offense, it's not crazy to imagine a scenario where Franklin is on the field as running back alongside another one of the quarterbacks. You have to believe Malzahn could have some fun with that.
4. Robinson actually committed to Auburn twice. While it doesn't have any actual effect on his departure, there was always something that just seemed off about Robinson's destiny at Auburn. He originally committed to the Tigers out of high school in 2012 and had spent a few weeks practicing with the team before he was ruled academically ineligible.
A guidance counselor at his high school had changed at least one of Robinson's grades. Robinson then went to junior college before returning to Auburn before the 2014 season, committing to the school twice in a three-year span.
Now, two years later, he's been dismissed.
I guess sometimes you need to do a better job reading the tea leaves.
















