We continue our summer expectation series by examining a player who came to Georgia with plenty: cornerback Ellis Robinson IV.

Anytime you’re a former five-star competitor, you will be looked at in a different light.

Of course, head coach Kirby Smart couldn't care less about someone's high school ranking. He values his assessments and judgments over anything outside the football offices at the Butts-Mehre Building.

Nevertheless, considering his hype, Robinson did not quite make the impact many fans and media thought he would.

The Connecticut native played in only four games, qualifying for a redshirt year.

In many ways, it was a growing year for Robinson, both physically and in terms of learning the system. Come fall, he appears better prepared to take advantage of the opportunities that come his way.

Robinson admitted his first year as a member of the Georgia Bulldogs was a learning process.

“It's all really been a process, you know, just going out every day, practice, just working, working on my craft, you know, getting to be a better player, a better person overall,” Robinson said. “My year was a good experience for me.”

While the former five-star only played in four games, not exactly the number many were predicting.

Nevertheless, the season was not a waste.

With a redshirt season now in his pocket, having a year to compete in practice helped Robinson develop some key parts of his game.

For example:

“I would say the mental part of the game,” he said. “I feel like this year has taught me a lot overall, from what to do, what not to do, how to do the little things.”

Physically, he’s also continued to grow.

Robinson said he’s 6-foot-1 and 185 pounds, one inch taller and five pounds heavier than his bio on Georgia’s online roster.

“The strength and conditioning here is great,” Robinson said. “We've got great strength and conditioning staff and everything. I would say it helped me a lot. I got my body bigger, and it has me ready for the season.”

Robinson mentioned his length.

With arms that measure just under 33 inches, he can contest catches effectively and disrupt routes

In high school, he showed the ability to take on the best in the game, including Ohio State sensation Jeremiah Smith. The two had epic battles during practice at the Under Armour All-American game, with Robinson giving the All-American all he could handle.

Robinson has the ability to work effectively in both man and zone coverage, with excellent ball instincts and skills.

Robinson appears to have addressed his strength, the biggest knock against him when he arrived at Georgia as an early enrollee in 2024.

Especially in the running game.

Extra mass would not hurt him challenging receivers physically, either. Robinson can run with them fine, but going matching them strength for strength was sometimes a problem.

He needs to become a more secure tackler, but otherwise, there are not a lot of concerns.

Young players typically make the biggest jumps physically and mentally from their freshman to sophomore years. There’s no reason to feel that Robinson will not do the same.

Daniel Harris and Daylen Everette are penciled in as the starters, but after that, the opportunity is there for Robinson and fellow second-year player Demello Jones to jump in and receive extensive playing time.

In Robinson, we’re talking about a premier athlete.

There’s a reason he came to Georgia with so many accolades.

Although he didn’t make quite the early impact that many thought he would, Robinson has a solid foundation and perhaps more important than anything, has shown a willingness to learn.

Anytime you combine want-to with ability, the results typically take care of themselves.