But that teenager attitude quickly changed.

“Michigan State will make you a man,” said Robinson, who will play his last game Saturday in Spartan Stadium and reflected on his transformation as a player and person. “Playing around and being late for stuff. You have to change and adapt when you get here or else you’ll be gone.”

Fortunately for both the senior safety and the Spartans, it never reached that point.

Taken under the wing of secondary coach Harlon Barnett — a four-year letterwinner himself at MSU — Robinson rededicated himself in practice and through proving his toughness, was cast into an active role as a freshman.

He played in eight games his first year, and from that moment he never looked back, starting seven games as a sophomore and every game — so far — as an upperclassman.

That clear maturation granted him the respect of his teammates, who named him a captain for 2011. And as Robinson prepares to run through the tunnel to 75,000 screaming home crowd fans for the last time, he can’t help but think where he’d be without Coach Barnett’s help.

“That’s the type of man you look up to,” Robinson said. “That’s the type of guy you want to be something like because he does things the way they’re supposed to be done all the time.”

Robinson’s high school coach, Morley Fraser, remembered first seeing Robinson and described him as a “little skinny kid” that “didn’t know much about football.”

Fraser said it wasn’t until Robinson’s sophomore year that either of them thought Robinson could play on the next level. After a summer spent in the weight room, demonstrating his ability to mature even at a young age, Robinson bulked up and his dream became possible.

But even as grown up as Robinson now seems, it still doesn’t mean he won’t act like a kid again this Saturday.

“He’ll cry,” Fraser said. “No doubt about it.”

That view not only is shared by his high school coach, but almost was unanimously voted on by his teammates and coaches. With the emotional leader he’s been both on and off the field, that’s hardly a surprise.

Because of that emotion, he’s been a guy people look up to.

Sophomore safety Isaiah Lewis, whether a captain or not, will find himself in Robinson’s shoes one day, leading the Spartan football team. And when he gets that opportunity, he said he hopes to resemble Robinson.

“You got to learn from a guy like that,” Lewis said. “I’m going to have to step up like that eventually. I’m going to have to step up and be that guy. You have to watch him and see what he does and build off of people like that.”

In his career, Robinson has nine interceptions — tied for 12th in school history — 198 tackles and with three — possibly four — more games those numbers will grow. But it’s not statistics he cares about.

He’s the only defensive captain of the winningest class in school history. He’s one win away from back-to-back seasons without a loss at home. And he’s led a defense that was once heavily criticized to the third best in the country.

But even with the awards and recognition he surely will receive, the moments on the field aren’t what will be remembered the most.

“There’s nothing like this brotherhood right here,” Robinson said.

“There’s nothing like sitting around and … cracking jokes with anybody. Offense, defense, it doesn’t matter. This brotherhood I’m going to miss.”

Now, as he braces himself for one last march to the place he’s called home on Saturdays, one last sprint onto that Spartan Stadium turf and one last chance to hear the sweet sound of thousands of fans yelling “Go Green, Go White,” he couldn’t help but agree with his teammates and coaches.

“I won’t be able to hold it in,” Robinson said.

“I’ll probably be crying while I’m on the field, during plays and just hitting people and crying. Tears all in my facemask, but it’ll be so exciting.”