Alabama linebacker commit and Jackson-Olin senior Quandarrius Robinson received his jersey today for the 2020 All-American Bowl, set for Jan. 4 in San Antonio, in a ceremony at his high school in Ensley.

It didn’t take long for reporters to ask him about his future career at Alabama.

“I’m coming to work,” he said. “I don’t want to say too much, but I’m ready to work and ready to make them the No. 1 team again.”

The Crimson Tide fell to Auburn 48-45 last weekend, ending any hopes of advancing to the College Football Playoff after falling to Clemson in last year’s championship game. It’s the first time in the CFP’s short history that Alabama won’t be part of the four-team field.

Alabama suffered two regular-season losses for the first time since 2010, and the Crimson Tide faces a likely exodus of underclassmen to the NFL, including record-breaking quarterback Tua Tagovailoa.

“In the past, we’ve shown that when we take a loss, the next couple of years are just dominant. … I love proving people wrong,” Robinson said.

Robinson is one of three linebackers in Alabama’s Class of 2020 commitments, along with Theodore’s Demouy Kennedy and Muscle Shoals’ Jackson Bratton. Fellow Alabama commit Malachi Moore, a defensive back from Hewitt-Trussville, is also playing in the All-American Game in San Antonio next month.

Robinson suffered a season-ending ankle injury early in the 2019 season, but he’s playing on the Mustangs’ basketball team and plans to run track in the spring spring.

After today’s All-American jersey ceremony, he answered questions from reporters. Here’s excerpts from the conversation:

Q: How’s your ankle?

A: “It’s good. I’m still regaining strength in right now, but it’s better than ever. I’ve been playing basketball for four or five weeks now. I wear an ankle brace. I’m just being cautious.”

Q: What did you learn from the injury, because it had to be frustrating to be on the sideline?

A: “It definitely humbled me a lot of ways. I think it turned me into a bully. Me being on the sideline and being there for the guys, so whenever I get a chance to play football again, there’s definitely going to be some emotions running and I’ll definitely going to be pumped and I’m definitely going to work my butt off.”

Q: You plan to report to Alabama next summer. How quickly do you think you can earn playing time?

A: “I don’t know how quick, because you’ve got other outstanding guys already there. If I get there and do what I have to do, there’s no telling what I can do.”

Q: What did you think of Tua’s season-ending hip injury?

A: “It’s just a freak injury. Like my injury, it’s just football. You can’t say he got hurt because of his ankle. It’s football. … I don’t know why people think you’re not supposed to get hurt because you wear pads. You have 300-something-pound lineman landing on you.”