LAKELAND, Fla. – For most of his recruiting process Lakeland (Fla.) wide receiver James Robinson was pegged to the Florida Gators. The Gators were the closest school to his hometown, combined with Florida being his lifelong favorite team.

However, after being cited for marijuana possession on an official visit to Ohio State this past January, things were not quite so clear on where Robinson would sign his national letter of intent to play college football at.

Just a few days before National Signing Day earlier this year, Robinson received a call from Florida with bad news. Due to the incident in Ohio, the Florida admissions office would not permit the Gators coaching staff to sign Robinson in their 2017 class. With his sights set on signing with the Gators, this news weighed heavily on the four-star pass catcher.

“It was crazy and tough, but I had some other schools and some other coaches that were still trying to recruit me and get me in,” Robinson told 247Sports. “So that kind of made it better too because I knew I still had a chance somewhere. I was shaken up about Florida though because that is where I was leaning for a while.”

Things changed for the better not long after on National Signing Day when the Florida staff came calling yet again. This time the call was from head coach Jim McElwain, who was able to convince Florida’s admissions office to give Robinson the green light.

“Right after my teammate A.J. [Davis] signed with Pitt, my coach got a call from someone at Florida. I wasn’t even planning on signing that day, but when we got the call from Coach Mac I went and signed the papers. I called my mom and had her come up to the school, she was really happy because she wanted me at Florida the whole time. Everybody in my house is all Florida fans.”

To see Coach McElwain and the rest of the Florida staff to work as hard as they did to get him in gives Robinson an extra push once he gets to Gainesville.

“It means a lot to me that they stuck their necks out for me,” said Robinson. “For Coach Mac to go through all the things he went through to still push for me means a lot. It shows me he cares for the players he has and isn’t just saying things to get top players. Florida always kept it real throughout the recruiting process. They were mad about the incident that happened with me and they knew I could do better than that. They were madder about the situation.”

With his recruitment now in the rear view and his focus primarily on the Gators, Robinson is working hard to finish this last semester of high school strong. With Robinson growing up such a big fan of the Orange and Blue, knowing the fact he will be running out of that tunnel this fall has him very excited.

“It’s just a childhood dream coming true for me,” said Robinson. “I make sure to keep in touch with Coach Mac, I talk with Coach Drew [Hughes] a lot, probably more than anyone else and he is always checking up on me and telling me to do what’s right. I talk with Coach [Kerry] Dixon a lot too and I have talked with Coach [Brad] Davis a little too since he recruits the area, he was just here the other day at the school. They just tell me to stay working in school, keep my nose clean, and how they are excited to get me up.”

The former Top247 wide out is expected to be on Florida’s campus at the end of June to enroll for Summer B. Since signing day Robinson says he’s gotten his weight up to 215-pounds from working hard in the weigh room to go along with his 6-foot-3 fame.

“We have a sandpit that is like 30-minues away from the house that some of us go out and run routes in and help work on foot work and little things. I have been lifting too at the school and doing some running. Florida sent me a few of the workout plans and they are pretty tough. I have done some of the things and they’re tough. I can’t wait to get up there because I know they are going to make me better.”

Robinson says he has learned from his mishap at Ohio State, and hopes recruits in the future also learn from his mistake as well.

“I would tell other recruits really just the world is bigger than you think it is,” explained Robinson. “You have to do what is right at all times because you never know who has eyes on you. I am learning from my mistakes and want to do better because I have people that have put themselves out there for me because they believe in me.”

The 247Sports Composite, an industry generated average, ranked Robinson as the No. 114 player in the 2017 class.