21

Nickell Robey

Class: Junior Hometown: Frostproof, FL High School: Frostproof HS

Height / Weight: 5-8 / 165 Position: CB Birthdate: 01/17/1992 Experience: 2V

@RDR_21

CAREER: He has 111 tackles, 6 interceptions and 13 deflections in his career. He has 24 career starts.

2012: The veteran Robey, a lockdown cornerback who is a Thorpe Award candidate, returns for his third season as a starter as a junior in 2012. He also could returns punts and kicks. He also competes on USC's track team.

2011: Robey started for his second season at cornerback as a sophomore in 2011. Overall in 2011 while starting all 12 games, he had 63 tackles, including 5.5 for losses (with 2 sacks), a team-high 9 deflections and 2 interceptions (with a TD), plus 12 punt returns for 132 yards (11.0 avg.) and a 20-yard kickoff return. He made the 2011 CollegeFootballNews.com Sophomore All-American second team. He made the 2011 All-Pac-12 first team. He made the 2011 ESPN.com, CBSSports.com, CollegeFootballNews.com and Phil Steele All-Pac-12 first team. He won USC's 2011 John McKay Award.

He had 4 tackles (0.5 for loss) and also returned 2 punts for 19 yards against Minnesota. He had 5 tackles, 2 deflections and 2 punt returns for 5 yards versus Utah. He had 4 tackles and returned 2 punts for 3 yards against Syracuse. He had 2 tackles and returned 2 punts for 51 yards (with a 44-yarder) at Arizona State. He added 4 tackles against Arizona and 6 tackles and 2 deflections at California. He then had 6 tackles, a deflection and a late interception to seal the victory at Notre Dame (he also had a 9-yard punt return) to earn USC's Player of the Game versus Notre Dame Award. He had 10 tackles, a deflection and returned a fourth quarter interception 33 yards for a TD against Stanford. He had 4 tackles (1 for a loss) at Colorado, then 3 tackles, a deflection and a 20-yard kickoff return against Washington and 6 tackles at Oregon. He had 9 tackles (with 2 sacks) and 2 deflections along with 2 punt returns for 40 yards against UCLA.

2010: Just a first-year freshman, Robey started all of 2010 at cornerback and performed well. Overall in 2010 while starting all 13 games, he had 48 tackles, including 1.5 for losses, plus had a team-high 4 interceptions with 1 TD, 4 deflections and 1 forced fumble. He made 2010 Collegefootballnews.com Freshman All-American honorable mention, All-Pac-10 honorable mention and Phil Steele All-Pac-10 fourth team.

He became the first USC true freshman to start a season opener at cornerback in the post-World War II era when he had 6 tackles and a deflection against Hawaii. He then had 2 tackles and 2 deflections against Virginia and 5 tackles at Minnesota. At Washington State, he had 3 tackles and 2 interceptions (including a 25-yard TD return and an 8-yarder to set up a USC TD) to become the first Trojan freshman to get 2 picks in a game since Mike Salmon did so in 1990 against Arizona State. He added 5 tackles against Washington, then 2 tackles each against Stanford, California and Oregon. He had 6 tackles (0.5 for a loss) and an interception against Arizona State, 3 tackles (1 for a loss) at Arizona, 5 tackles at Oregon State, 3 tackles against Notre Dame and 4 tackles, an interception, a forced fumble and a deflection at UCLA.

TRACK: He is a long jumper and sprinter on USC's track team. He had a 2012 season best of 23-11 ½ to finish second in the long jump at the USC-UCLA Dual Meet. He joined with fellow footballers D.J. Morgan, Marqise Lee and Tony Burnett on a sprint relay quartet that ran 41.05 for third place at the 2012 Rossi Relays.

HIGH SCHOOL: His 2009 honors included Super Prep All-Dixie as a senior defensive back and running back at Frostproof (Fla.) High. He had 764 yards on 88 carries (8.9 avg.) with 9 TDs and caught 17 passes for 232 yards (13.7 avg.) with 6 TDs on offense, had 73 tackles, 2 interceptions and 2 forced fumbles on defense and averaged 17.1 yards on 8 punt returns and 34.7 yards on 7 kickoff returns in 2009.

As a junior in 2008, he made All-State 2B first team and All-County first team. He ran for 1,600 yards with 10 TDs and caught 33 passes for 475 yards (14.4 avg.) with 4 TDs on offense and had 6 interceptions on defense.

As a sophomore in 2007, he ran for 1,500 yards on offense and had 40 tackles and 7 interceptions on defense.

He also was on Frostproof's baseball (earning All-State second team honors) and track (bests of 10.71 in the 100 meters, 23-9 in the long jump and 45-11 in the triple jump) teams. He was the 2010 State 2A District 8 and Region 2 long jump champion.

PERSONAL: His cousin is Carlton Thomas, was a tailback at Georgia (2009-11). He and 15 of his USC teammates spent 5 days in Haiti in the spring of 2012 building homes and assisting those in need.