Well this came out of nowhere.
Head coach Gus Malzahn announced on Wednesday that Auburn has dismissed running back Jovon Robinson. Robinson is Auburn's top returning running back, as he led the Tigers last season in rushing yards per game and yards per carry. (min. 50 attempts)
Per ESPN's Brett McMurphy, Robinson was dismissed for "missing classes/meetings" and "continued inattention to detail in everything."
Yeah, that last one sounds pretty damning.
Besides missing team meetings, there appear to be no major violations of team or university rules here. It looks like Malzahn is making a call that Robinson wasn't disciplined enough to be with the team any longer. That is definitely a gutsy call.
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This is the second season in a row where Auburn has dismissed one of its top players. Last year, star wideout Duke Williams was dismissed from the team, allegedly for an outburst in a local bar.
The dismissal of Robinson is probably a bigger loss for the Tigers that Williams was; Williams was floundering in the offense before his dismissal last year. Robinson, however, was expected to take on a heavy load of Auburn's offense after the departure of running back Peyton Barber. Auburn will now have to rely on Roc Thomas and Kerryon Johnson out of the backfield.
Robinson rushed for 639 yards (5.60 ypc) and three touchdowns in eight games last year.