LaNorris Sellers' long-time QB trainer Ramon Robinson previews what to expect

LaNorris Sellers will debut as South Carolina’s starting quarterback in six days.

The former Florence (S.C.) South Florence star has shown Gamecock fans glimpses of what he’s capable of in spot action last season and in the spring game but few have spent more time with Sellers on a football field than Ramon Robinson, his long-time QB trainer.

Robinson, who runs RR QB Elite Academy, joined 107.5 The Game this past week on the GamecockCentral Takeover to give fans an idea of what to expect from the redshirt freshman.

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107.5: Shane Beamer said LaNorris’ response to being named the starting quarterback was simply “okay,” and then he went about his business. That probably doesn’t come as a surprise to you; he seems like a pretty low-key guy, right?

Ramon Robinson: Yeah, he seems to be low-key. He’s all about business, and he’s been about business ever since, like I said, we started the process of developing him into a high-profile quarterback that was wanted by quite a few colleges. He’s been handling his business and staying the course ever since then.

107.5: I know you’ve worked with probably countless quarterbacks over the years, but just from being around LaNorris and seeing him on a day-to-day basis, seeing him on that grind as he has developed, what can you tell the Gamecock fans about what they can expect from him from just a play style and ability standpoint? They obviously haven’t seen him as much as you have over the years.

Ramon Robinson: What I’ve seen—like I said, I’ve been with him for quite some time now—and the things I’ve seen from him are growth and development, and that’s what you want to see at the quarterback position. I speak on that a lot; if you’re not growing and developing at the position, then you’re wasting your time. The thing I saw with him is he’s grown not just physically but mentally as well, in how he attacks the game, how he prepares and preps for the game. That’s all I’ve seen over the years—continuous growth.

Just from being with Coach (Drew) Marlowe pouring him to him as his head coach, and us working together in regard to the things that I worked on with LaNorris that would pair up well within their offense, those are the things I’ve seen him continue to build on as he’s taken the next step with the Gamecocks.

All I’ve seen is continuous development, and people want to know what they’re going to get from him—who knows? The only person who knows is the man upstairs and LaNorris Sellers. If LaNorris just goes out there and plays his game, which is what I expect. Anybody who knows him and is in his circle knows that as long as LaNorris is doing him and nobody’s handicapping his game, LaNorris is going to deliver a full-package game.

He’s a guy that can throw first, he can throw second, and also, when I say throw, he can run third—that’s the third option. He’s that guy that can put his foot in the ground and make a play if need be. But at the same time, he’s a guy that everybody looks up to, follows his path. They’ve been on the grind with him the whole summer—just receivers picking up and saying, “Hey, we’re going to Greenville, South Carolina, to train this weekend with the guys,” or “We’re going to Florence, or over to the local high school to train with Coach Ramon.”

Those guys have been following him, being on the same page, creating that vibe and relationship that a quarterback and wide receiver and players want. What people are going to see is, as long as No. 16 is being No. 16, everybody in the Gamecock Nation is going to be a very happy family.

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107.5: Hey, Ramon, I was able to watch the Carolina spring game from the sideline, so I had a great view of the game speed and how quickly LaNorris processes things. I was amazed—taken aback by his ability to make that initial decision, whether he has to extend a play a little bit or if it’s not perfect pass protection, but he’s going to step up in this pocket, not necessarily look to run first. I think that’s something you were kind of alluding to there. What have you seen from him over the years, man? That ability to have that clock in his head, make quick decisions, and keep his eyes downfield while he’s maneuvering in the pocket to try to make a throw, but then obviously, like you said, if he has to, he’ll stick his foot in the ground and go. But I loved his ability to keep his eyes downfield as he’s extending plays.

Ramon Robinson: Right, and that’s the thing. The things that I do in my training, whether it’s footwork drills, ladders, or cones, I emphasize that all the way back to quarterbacks I’ve had way before LaNorris in college. Always keep your eyes downfield.

I’m not worried about if you hit a cone or the ladder; your goal is to keep your eyes downfield. I look at you hitting a cone or ladder like the defense tugging at your shirt or leg, but that’s not your job—not your job to stop in your tracks just because somebody’s pulling at you. Your job is to continue to keep your eyes downfield to see what the defense is doing as you’re escaping out of the pocket or making a pocket movement.

Those are things I stress to any quarterback from first grade all the way up to the pros: always try to maintain and keep your eyes downfield. You’re going to see that not just with LaNorris but with any young quarterback if they stay the course and trust the process when it comes to developing and being comfortable in that pocket, knowing when to elude and when to make the right move to continue to stay in the pocket or when to go.

I always stress that when we first came in, saying, “Hey, look, our first job is to take command of the offense, sit in that pocket, and go through our reads.” To go through our reads, we have to know what we’re doing within our offense. We’ve got to know what read one is, read two is, and if it’s the third option, that’s either going to be a throw away, you tuck the ball and run, or check down to the running back.

That’s the growth I saw with him early on in his freshman and sophomore year when he was at Florence. I saw him start to transition out of it because he started to trust himself within the offense and knew where everybody was at, like right before he got hurt his junior year. Everybody’s thinking that this was one of those senior things—his senior year, he’s just jumping off the charts. No, this was a process, and we’re talking about development—that’s what you want.

He got better from a freshman to a sophomore to a junior to a senior in Marlowe’s offense. Marlowe’s been a great key factor in his development as well because we’ve always worked together. That’s what you want. If you want the best out of your quarterback, everybody’s got to be on the same page for the success of the kid. It’s not about you; it’s about the kid at hand right now. That’s what I’ve seen with him—his pocket presence has grown as he got more comfortable within the offense.

Just like at the University of South Carolina now, as he’s getting more comfortable, he knows the offense now, he knows where everybody’s at. That gives him the opportunity to sit in that pocket and lead the offense down the field.

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107.5: Ramon Robinson, who was LaNorris Sellers’ quarterback trainer when he was in high school at South Florence, is with us. We have high expectations for him, obviously. Anytime you’re a new starting quarterback, especially in the SEC, you’re going to make mistakes—there are going to be interceptions, broken plays. Those kinds of things are just part of playing quarterback, especially at this level. How does LaNorris Sellers respond to adversity? How can he compartmentalize and not let things affect him as the season rolls along?

Ramon Robinson: I think he just has to handle his job and not get caught up in the hype. There’s a lot of hype right now, and he’s done a very good job of not paying attention to what’s going on on social media. He’s just been handling his business.

We all know if you get caught up in what people are saying, you’re going to derail what you’re trying to do. That’s always going to derail what you’re trying to do because if you’re sitting here looking at, listening to the opinions of others, and getting caught up in it, whether it’s the good moments or the bad moments—there’s a 24-hour rule, some people say. Twenty-four hours in that time frame, the success of what happened in the last game—that’s over.

But I just think if he continues to do what he does and continues to be the guy he’s become as a young man, and everything that’s been instilled in him by his family, if he continues to be him, there will be great things. I don’t think there will be a lot of distractions, regardless of if he’s playing in the SEC or wherever. It’s just a matter of him continuing to be him. I always say that as long as LaNorris continues to be LaNorris Sellers, there are great things ahead.