Beau Robbins' IU career hasn't turned out the way he expected but he's making an impact now

BLOOMINGTON — Sid Swartzendruber was a little bit surprised. During a game, the then-Carmel High School defensive line coach, gave a signal to Beau Robbins. It meant Robbins was supposed to sub out after the next play. Robbins shook his head. Swartzendruber gave the signal again. Robbins shook his head again.

“No, I’m fine!” Robbins said.

Speaking up adamantly wasn’t something Robbins did very often.

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“Quiet — in a good way," Swartzendruber said. "Beau is — a lot of people have their ups and downs and their curve moves pretty drastically up and down and up and down. And Beau is about as level as you can get. And I think that’s been one of his strengths — is he doesn’t get too high and he doesn't get too low.”

At IU, Robbins has given off a similar impression.

“With Beau, he doesn’t really talk much," said IU defensive lineman Demarcus Elliott. "… But if you see him out , he’s kinda a different person outside of football. He’s really energetic, talkative.”

Said IU defensive line coach Paul Randolph: “He’s so quiet, if you don’t say something to him, you don’t know he’s there."

Perhaps, though, somewhere in there is an accurate summation of Robbins' ascension at IU: a quiet one. Robbins was a highly-touted recruit in high school, but waited -- and waited -- for his turn at IU. This season, though, Robbins has stepped into a key role on the defensive line. With James Head Jr. missing the first two games, Robbins has filled in with crucial sack against Illinois and four total tackles.

"Just the way he's come on, he's just been steady,” IU coach Tom Allen said the week following the win over Illinois. “He's never wavered. … Just so proud of Beau. And (the sack) was huge. And that's how you win Big Ten football games is guys like that stepping up. In-state guy from Carmel High School that's come here and does a phenomenal job in the classroom and represents us the first-class way in everything possible. So couldn't be happier for Beau.”

At Carmel, Robbins was a part of the 2016 Class 6A state championship team and 2018 state runner-up, and was named the 2018 Phil N. Eskew Mental Attitude Award winner. Robbins’ parents went to IU, and he grew up going to IU football and basketball games. The fact that he already cared so much about the school, plus its proximity to his home and the opportunity to be part of building up the football program were factors in his decision to choose IU.

But his IU career, Robbins admitted, hasn’t gone exactly as he thought it would. He rarely appeared during the 2019 season, allowing him to redshirt. The following season, he didn’t see any game action but was named Defensive Scout Team Player of the Year. In 2021, Robbins appeared in all 12 games but recorded just four total tackles. During those three seasons, the IU program has seen highs and lows. Players have come and gone. Amid an era of college athletics that seems to promote instant gratification, Robbins waited.

“I’ve been here for a long time,” Robbins said. “My career hasn’t panned out exactly as I thought it would. But it was still that whole staying strong mentally, staying the course, just knowing that I need to get better, attacking every day and doing it positively, too. Not feeling bad for myself, not just being boo-hoo. But taking every day, appreciating every day with the mindset, where I’m gonna come get better and I’m gonna do what I need to do no matter what the circumstances are around that.”

Part of his development can be attributed to his work physically. Earlier in his career, he was listed on IU's roster at 250 pounds. Now, he’s listed at 272. It’s a result of lifting, but also diet. Robbins didn’t necessarily have a bad diet before, but he tightened it up. Now, he has white rice, ground beef, chicken, vegetables, eggs and protein shakes.

Robbins’ work is starting to show up for fans to see. After what would end up being IU's game-winning offensive drive against Illinois, the Hoosiers’ defense still needed to hold strong. Robbins was a part of that. He came off the edge and yanked down Illinois quarterback Tommy DeVito. Robbins, at one point, was asked how many times he practiced that pass-rush move. His answer? “He said ‘hundreds,’” IU defensive coordinator/linebackers coach Chad Wilt recalled.

Being patient, Robbins admitted, hasn’t been easy.

“It’s hard,” Robbins said, “but I trust in our coaches, I believe in the program. I just always felt that if I just kept doing everything I possibly could, working as hard as I could, that eventually, it would start to pay dividends.”

This article originally appeared on Indianapolis Star: Indiana football: Beau Robbins getting a chance to make an impact