Penn State picks up first 2027 commitment of Matt Campbell era in four-star CB Semajay Robinson

Penn State is back on the board in the Class of 2027.

Following his first and only unofficial visit to the school on Saturday, four-star cornerback and South Florida native Semajay Robinson officially announced his decision to commit to the Nittany Lions. The 6-foot-3, 180-pound defensive back picked up an offer from Penn State just 60 days ago on Jan. 27. Since then, he’s consistently spoken highly of position coach Terry Smith, teasing earlier this month that he was seriously considering a commitment.

“It’s really all about Coach Terry and his coaching,” Robinson said when asked why he ended his recruitment and committed to Penn State. “The way he’s been able to coach and develop guys like Joey Porter Jr., those are guys I model my game after. He’s got a strong legacy there and has developed a lot of guys.

“But also, we talk every other day. If I were to hit Coach Terry up, he’s calling me back in no more than three minutes. That’s a big part of it. It doesn’t matter if he’s with his family, out at practice or in a meeting, he’s getting back to me in three minutes. He’s just a great person. He cares about you off the field.”

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Smith and recruiting assistant Alan Zemaitis were in contact with Robinson the most over the past nine weeks, but he’s also been able to speak with Penn State’s new head coach, Matt Campbell, on a few occasions. He said he’s looking forward to building that bond even more.

“Coach Campbell has a great personality. I really like what he stands for and I’m excited to keep building a stronger bond with him,” Robinson said.

Robinson played at Palm Beach Central this past season but has since transferred to Dillard in Fort Lauderdale. He had just two offers before his junior season and is now up over 20 total. Robinson previously planned to take official visits to Mississippi State and Virginia, but said he’ll likely cancel those visits now. Those two programs, along with Boston College, Florida State, Kentucky, Missouri and Pitt were all pushing to get him on campus this spring. His decision not to visit Florida State is particularly notable given the fact that he grew up rooting for the Seminoles.

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Robinson was named to the Rivals300 back in February. He’s ranked No. 253 nationally, 30th overall at cornerback and No. 29 in Florida for the Class of 2027.

“Semajay Robinson is an outside corner with pretty good junior film,” said Rivals National Scouting Director Charles Power. “He’s a guy we moved into the Rivals300 within that corner group. He looks to have good size, lines up primarily as an outside corner and looks comfortable in man coverage.

“Robinson makes high-level plays on the football. I really like his ability to track, locate and get his head around to make plays on the ball in the air. He’s another player we need to keep learning more about, but I like his junior film and he looks to have the traits that you value at the position, especially the ball skills and natural cover ability.”