A seventh-grader walked up to LeRon McClain during the former Alabama fullback’s first-ever camp at Tuscaloosa County (Ala.) High School and asked him for his cleats. McClain’s barber saw the exchange and later pointed out the seventh-grader was a talented, young running back.

It was Brian Robinson.

When McClain was a member of the Baltimore Ravens, he heard about a kid “ripping it up” at Hillcrest (Ala.) High School, and the next game he saw, the Patriots’ running back rushed for 447 yards and four touchdowns on 29 carries against Clay-Chalkville in an early September loss.

It was Brian Robinson.

“Yeah, that kid’s special,” McClain said.

Now, Robinson is a junior at Alabama, and after waiting his turn the last two seasons, he has a chance at consistent first-team carries for the first time as the Crimson Tide’s No. 2 tailback. Robinson is looking to catch the attention of not only the SEC but the rest of the country -- much like he did when he was the nation’s No. 8-rated running back recruit in 2017, per the 247Sports Composite.

“Most people are just going to see a mad, angry running back that most people probably have not seen in Brian since I was in high school,” Robinson said. “I just feel like I haven’t really been granted the opportunity to show my full potential. I’m just awaiting the opportunity.”

Robinson played in all 15 of Alabama’s games last year and rushed for 272 yards and a pair of touchdowns on 63 carries as a reserve. The year before as a freshman, he posted 165 yards and two scores on 24 touches in 11 appearances. Those numbers are expected to soar this season as he assumes a larger role in the offense -- one he has waited for since he arrived in 2017.

“It’s been a time for me to reflect and just think about what I want for my future,” Robinson said. “And I know that Coach (Nick) Saban has a process and a way he likes to do things around here. I trust Coach Saban and his process. If it was for me to sit for two years and wait my time, that’s what I was willing to do.”

Alabama running back Brian Robinson

But the waiting game can prove to be difficult, especially for players that starred in high school.

“It is hard to be patient at times because when you prepare hard and you go out and you work hard every day and await your opportunity, you never know when it’s going to come,” Robinson said. “And you sit around waiting and thinking, ‘When is it ever going to come?’ So, sometimes you can get a little impatient, but I try to keep my poise and just remain focused on the bigger picture.”

That can also prove to be a “humbling experience” for new players in college, Robinson said.

“You should take that as a humbling experience and just focus on just getting better so that you are ready to play,” he said. “If you’re not ready to play, the coaches are not going to lie to you. The film’s not going to lie to you. So, at that point, you just need to focus on what you need to get better so that you will be when you are granted the opportunity to play.”

That opportunity is now for Robinson.

With Damien Harris and Josh Jacobs in the NFL, the Tide has vacancies in its backfield. Najee Harris, who finished as UA’s second-leading rusher last year, is expected to rise to the lead back role, but Robinson isn’t far behind him. In fact, head coach Nick Saban admitted that the latter probably should have seen more carries in 2018. There just weren’t enough carries to go around.

“Brian Robinson’s done a really good job with whatever we’ve asked him to do,” Saban said. “He’s certainly matured. He’s been in the program. He’s been an outstanding special teams player. He’s a really good competitor. He’s got toughness. He’s very instinctive as a runner. I think he has good overall knowledge of the offense, so there’s no reason for him to not to be able to assume a greater role.

Alabama running back Brian Robinson

“If there’s anybody that deserved more in terms of their role a year ago, it was probably him. The depth of the position probably didn’t allow him to get as many turns as even would’ve liked for him to, but I don’t think that impeded his development at all because he’s got great knowledge and experience and he’s been able to play enough to know what it’s like to play in big game. I’m sure he’ll do a great job for us this year.”

The now 6-foot-1, 226-pound Robinson chose Alabama because he loves being in Tuscaloosa, where he can play in front of his family and friends at Bryant-Denny Stadium. But he also wasn’t afraid of competition. At a school that has a rich tradition at the running back position, Robinson clearly wasn’t intimidated by a loaded backfield that already featured Harris, Jacobs and Bo Scarbrough.

“When I made the decision, I knew that there was going to be competition, and I came here to compete,” Robinson said. “I never back down from competition. That’s what I wanted. I hit that head-on. That’s what I wanted to do when I came here, and I knew that that’s what it was going to be. So, when it comes to competition, we compete every day, we’re going to continue to compete.

“Obviously, roles are changing and replacing, but we’re still going to compete the same as if we were freshmen and still fighting for a spot we knew we probably weren’t going to get.”

Robinson is approaching his third year in the program the same he has everything in his life, including a summer camp at Tuscaloosa County High where a young player in size 9.5 cleats was handed size 14 cleats by an NFL player. And that now-former NFL player knows the shoes left behind by Alabama’s departing running backs are ready to be filled by a promising local product.

“I think this year, it’s going to be a breakout year for him,” McClain told BamaOnLine. “He’s shown value these years behind these guys, and now, he’s going to have his opportunity to run the ball. He’s hungry. He’s been waiting for this. It’s going to be a breakout year for him. I told him ‘1,000 or more,’ that’s what I told him. ‘When you get the carries, man, you’ve got to take advantage.’”

Contact Charlie Potter by 247Sports' personal messaging or on Twitter (@Charlie_Potter).

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