Jammie Robinson, DeAngelo Griffin paving a new path

LEESBURG — The first thing to know about Jammie Robinson is the pronunciation of his first name.

To someone who doesn’t know, the double-M might give cause to say “JAM-me.”

But that’s just the way his named is spelled.

“It’s all good,” said Robinson, who noted that the unusual spelling came from his mother. “But my name is JAY-me.”

A 5-foot-11, 194-pound cornerback and return man, Robinson is listed 37th among all Georgia seniors in the 247Sports recruiting rankings. Last year at Crisp County, he earned first-team all-state honors from the Georgia Sports Writers Association for his kick return work.

Some big changes took place during the offseason. Robinson, along with teammates DeAngelo Griffin and Patrick Felton, left the Crisp County program and went through the GHSA transfer process, which mandates families must physically move from one county to another in most situations in order for student-athletes to remain eligible after changing schools.

Felton, a senior quarterback, landed at Tift County. Robinson, a senior defensive lineman with high-level offers, and Griffin, who has committed to Minnesota, both went to Lee County, where they give added depth to a unit that allowed 13.9 points per game last year.

The three transfers were in the same stadium briefly last week, when Tift County hosted Lee County in a scrimmage that was cut short midway through the first quarter because of weather. Robinson and Griffin appear in Lee County uniforms officially for the first time tonight when the Trojans take on Dougherty at 7:30 p.m. in the Albany State Coliseum in the inaugural Hamp Smith Classic.

Robinson says his family paid close attention to the GHSA’s transfer bylaws, a list that has snared plenty of players and teams in the past, from current University of Georgia player Demetris Robertson’s move between Savannah private schools in 2014 to Marietta’s forfeit of eight games last season.

“My mom, she got a job here, she got a new job offer,” Robinson said. “This is going to better our whole family, this move.”

Once residency was established, Lee County head coach Dean Fabrizio made it clear that he wasn’t going to automatically hand Robinson and Griffin spots on the roster.

Coming off a state championship last year, the Trojans already had plenty of talent defensively. Cornerback Tay Mayo carries with him a top-150 state ranking and power-five conference potential, while returning defensive lineman Anthony Harvey was the top tackler up front last year.

The incoming pair, however, put in the work and are now part of Lee County’s defensive mix.

“They’ve worked extremely hard since they got here,” Fabrizio said. “We practice at an extremely fast tempo, and they haven’t backed down from that. They’ve been practicing really hard every day, putting in the extra time to learn our schemes. We’ve been real pleased with their development so far.”

One of the things Robinson and Griffin looked forward to with their moves was the added quickness playing at the Class 6A level brings with it.

Rosters are much deeper in Class 6A, with Lee County facing traditional powers Valdosta and Northside-Warner Robins during the course of the season, not to mention Class 6A runner-up Coffee, a team Lee County beat twice last year.

That added depth allows for more specialization. With fewer snaps comes more intensity on each play, something Robinson and Griffin, who said they played on both sides of the ball at Crisp County, welcome.

“It’s a whole different ballgame, 6A football,” Griffin said. “Coming from 3A, everything here is fast tempo. Everything goes fast, nothing slow. We get out of practice quick because practice is fast. We’re always moving.”

Unless he decides to reopen, college recruiting won’t be an issue for Griffin. He committed to Minnesota in June, establishing a strong relationship with the coaching staff there.

Minnesota is led by P.J. Fleck, a head coach known for his high energy level who had tremendous success at Western Michigan before entering the Big Ten ranks.

“(Defensive ends coach Marcus) West hit me up on Twitter, then Coach Fleck hit me up on Twitter,” Griffin said. “I took my official (visit) in June, and I enjoyed it. It was amazing. The players treated me like I was already on the team.”

Robinson, meanwhile, has some decisions to make.

The 247Sports website has Georgia, South Carolina, Auburn and Michigan at the top of Robinson’s list, but he said his recruitment is open. The goal, he said, was to find the right mix between waiting long enough to find what he considers to be the right college home and not waiting too long and potentially get shut out of some offers.

“I haven’t made my commitment yet,” Robinson said. “But you know it’s coming soon.”