Jahquez Robinson is the only freshman on Alabama’s 2020 roster that has already experienced a college practice, having been on campus for the team’s bowl preparation in December. Still, the newcomer cornerback was disappointed when the Crimson Tide was forced to suspend its spring football practices last month because of the novel coronavirus pandemic.

“Absolutely, he was,” his father, Frank Robinson, told BamaOnLine.

“He was like, ‘Dad, I went through Fourth Quarter, and that was like the worst situation I’ve ever been in my life. I’ve never ran as much, I’ve never lifted as much. My focus is so driven towards this spring coming up. I needed the break for my body.’ But he was so driven to get out there and practice and see exactly what he could do on the field.”

A product of Sandalwood (Fla.) High School, Robinson was the nation’s No. 22-ranked corner, according to the industry-generated 247Sports Composite. The former 4-star recruit is listed at 6-foot-2, 185 pounds on UA’s online roster, but his father said Robinson left home weighing 175 pounds and returned to Florida 30 pounds heavier at 205 pounds in mid-March.

“It was a lot of a weight transition, a lot of mental transition,” Frank Robinson said. “He was ready to see how that feels in pads. That kind of hurt him. He was very upset about that. He’s ready to go back. If they said, ‘Come back tomorrow,’ he would be back tomorrow.”

When exactly Robinson and the rest of the Crimson Tide players and coaches will be able to return to the Mal M. Moore Athletic Facility remains unclear. The SEC extended its suspension of all in-person athletics activities through May 31 due to the coronavirus outbreak, and that includes all practices, meetings and gatherings, whether mandatory or involuntary.

In the meantime, Robinson and his family have followed the suggested guidelines by staying at home and inside as much as possible. The freshman corner has utilized the space available to him, working out in his front and backyards, as well as the street in front of his house. He has had to juggle all of his football responsibilities, schoolwork and being a big brother.

“Dealing with adversity is something he’s always been able to do,” Frank Robinson said.

“I’m not going to say it’s not a lot. It is. But it’s not something I worry about him getting through. Mentally, physically, emotionally, he’s solid. He’s not saying, ‘Dad, I can’t do this, I can’t do that.’ He just says, ‘I’m going to get this done at this time, I’m going to get this done at that time.’ It’s making him prioritize things right now.”

Alabama has been “very involved” with its players during this unprecedented time, as Robinson talks to somebody from within the Tide program every day. Coaches are allowed to work with players for four hours per week via video conferences for virtual film review. Because Robinson is at home, his father has caught glimpses of the Zoom meetings for defensive backs.

Alabama early enrollee Jahquez Robinson

“To me, it’s like a scheme that’s so in-depth,” Frank Robinson said. “Looking at Xavier McKinney’s interview the other day, how he was like, ‘Man, the defense that they run there is kind of easier in the pros.’ And then talking to Jahquez, there’s so much that they have to be on top of because you can miss one and you miss a lot. Everything is linked together.”

Alabama won’t have any spring practices, which are usually most beneficial for the players that enroll early, like Robinson and the other 12 newcomers. But Robinson has the benefit of having a few bowl practices already under his belt from the team’s prep for the Citrus Bowl.

There were positives and negatives in that reality, as the Jacksonville, Fla., native was able to go through at least a couple of practices prior to the pandemic. Being the only freshman in the cornerback room, he didn’t have anyone to his left or right that were making the same mistakes. But he was also gaining invaluable experience, especially given the current situation.

“It’s a learning experience for him,” Frank Robinson said. “When he came back from the bowl practices, he was like, ‘Dad, college football is not faster, as far as speed-wise, because I can keep up with everybody. But it’s faster mentally.’ When he got there for that bowl practice, it helped him out a lot. Mental-wise, he was like, ‘Dad, I’ve got to know if this guy moves, I move this way,’ versus in high school when he was in press man all year, all game.

“Now, you may be in press man, but he press man goes to a zone and goes back to man. Different things like that, he has to learn, and going there early allowed him to learn how to wrap his head around all of that initially. I think it was a blessing that he went up there.”

Robinson is eager to get back to Alabama once all is clear. One of the main reasons is to continue working with new strength and conditioning coaches David Ballou and Dr. Matt Rhea.

“He loves them,” Frank Robinson said. “He was like, ‘Dad, it’s a blessing from God.’ I was like, ‘What do you mean?’ He was like, ‘Man, Coach Cochran was more so...’ -- You know when you’re older, you know how we are. This works, so you’re going to do this. Well, you’ve got Dr. Rhea and Coach Ballou coming in, and the way they’re so available for him, like he communicates with them all the time because he gained so much weight. Certain things started aching that wasn’t aching before. I don’t know. He loves them.

“I love Coach Cochran because he reminds me of a Marine Corps drill instructor, and he loves Coach Cochran, too. But when the transition happened, I think he’s happy with what Coach Saban picked up. He loves them, the way they do their workouts and the whole scheme of things that they do, he loves it. I asked him the same question, ‘How do like going from this to this?’ He was like, ‘Dad, I love it. I love the two. They’re awesome.’”

Contact Charlie Potter by personal message or on Twitter (@Charlie_Potter).