Throughout his football career, Scotland outside linebacker Artemis Robinson has prided himself on having a relentless work ethic on and off the football field.
Robinson’s commitment to the sport of football has proved inspiring to both teammates and coaches alike, and now the Scotland senior has earned the opportunity to continue his lauded career at the next level.
This past weekend, Robinson made his decision final: He will attend North Carolina State University next fall on a full football scholarship.
“It’s been a great senior year, and accepting this offer is an even bigger boost to the year I’m already having,” said Robinson, who also fielded offers from Duke, East Carolina, Wake Forest, Texas Christian and Appalachian State, among others. “I work hard every single day, and I think that the effort I put in when no one’s looking is how all these doors opened for me. It’s a dream come true.”
As a member of the Fighting Scots, Robinson played a prominent role on the 15-0 undefeated 4A state championship team last season. But called upon this season to lead a Scotland defensive unit that lost every single starter from 2011-12, Robinson has emerged as one of the top defensive players in North Carolina.
To date, Robinson has tallied 114 combined tackles, three sacks, three passes defensed and two forced fumbles, all part of a Scotland season that has seen the Fighting Scots go 11-1 through the first 12 games including the first two rounds of the state 4A playoffs.
“There’s athletes that love to play football on Friday nights, and then there’s Artemis who loves everything that goes into it including weight-lifting and practices,” said Scotland coach Richard Bailey. “He demands respect from his teammates, because when you see the best player on the team also work the hardest, it makes you want to do the same.”
Bailey said Robinson has “played through injuries and adversity and keeps playing, throwing his body into every play that inspires teammates and us coaches as well.”
“I’ve coached several linebackers that have played ACC (Atlantic Coast Conference) football, and Artemis is as good as any of them, if not better,” he said.
When he becomes a member of the Wolfpack next season, Robinson will carry on a family tradition started by older brother Terrell Manning, who battled back through injury setbacks to enjoy a successful linebacking career at NC State.
And as Robinson made his intentions of joining the Wolfpack known to his future coaches this past weekend, Manning was also in attendance for arguably the biggest moment of his brother’s young career. The family had traveled to Raleigh to see NC State take on Wake Forest Nov. 10 for the Wolfpack’s “Parents and Families Day.”
“I’ve been around the team and coaches a lot, and I’ve always loved the atmosphere there,” said Robinson of NC State. “I want to show them that I’m a well-coached linebacker that can blitz and utilize my speed to make plays. But most importantly, education is huge for me, and my primary reason to go to college is because I want to get a degree.”
Robinson’s decision comes on the heels of Scotland’s recent playoff victory, a convincing 56-27 throttling of second-round opponent Lee County that occurred hours before Robinson made the fateful trip to Raleigh. And with that, Robinson’s long journey to determine his future as a student athlete came to a successful end.
But there is still some unfinished business that Robinson wishes to handle before he calls it a football career in Scotland.
“The decision was a huge sigh of relief for me, because now there’s no more worries or stresses,” Robinson said. “But with that out of the way, my focus is on helping my team get to the state championship game.”
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