HOUSTON -- The label “trailblazer” is a lot for a just-turned 21-year-old to live up to, especially if he’s not sure what trail he’s actually blazing.

Safety Kenny Robinson does know this: He’s in the XFL for a reason and plans on making the most of it.

“I’m getting better and better every day,” Robinson said Friday after St. Louis BattleHawks training camp practice at W.W. Thorne Stadium. “I’m getting smarter, getting to learn the game. I’m taking it day by day.”

The BattleHawks start the season Feb. 9 (5 p.m. ET, ESPN) at the Dallas Renegades.

The youngest member of the BattleHawks owns the distinction of being the first player to enter the XFL Draft with college eligibility remaining. The Wilkinsburg, Pa, native spent two years as a standout at West Virginia before entering the NCAA transfer portal following his sophomore season in 2018.

Robinson never transferred. Family concerns took precedent, as his mother was diagnosed with cancer around the same time Robinson was considering new schools.

The XFL opened up a door that isn’t there in the NFL, which requires players to be three years out of high school before being draft eligible. Robinson took the opening.

“It was either go to school or help take care of my family and do what I love,” he said. “The XFL is also paying for me to take classes still, so I can take classes and get my degree and take care of my family at the same time.”

In essence, this is Robinson’s junior year. Instead of a scholarship, he’s getting paid. And with it comes a certain level of responsibility.

“That’s why I try to do as much as I can, just be mature and stay on top of things, to make sure if someone else is in my situation I can open a way for them,” said Robinson, an All-Big 12 first-team selection in 2018.

BattleHawks coach Jonathan Hayes knows plenty about being a professional athlete and its demands. He spent 12 years in the NFL with Kansas City and Pittsburgh before going into coaching. He was at Oklahoma for four years under current Renegades coach Bob Stoops before a 15-year run as an assistant with the Cincinnati Bengals.