Former Oklahoma State Quarterback Zac Robinson Talks Career with Peter Schrager

STILLWATER – Life has been somewhat of a whirlwind for former Oklahoma State Cowboys quarterback Zac Robinson. Robinson was committed to Kansas State for a long time in his recruiting out of Littleton, Colo. and Chatfield High School and then at the last minute new Oklahoma State head coach Mike Gundy took a hard run at Robinson, who had OSU connections but Les Miles wasn’t interested. Gundy got the job and put on the full court press. Since then Robinson’s life and career decisions have often been outside the norm like his most recent career advancement to NFL offensive coordinator.

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Robinson talks to Matthew Stafford while coaching with the Rams.

Back in February, the current Los Angeles Rams passing game coordinator and quarterbacks coach, was being sought by other teams in the league’s annual coaching merry-go-round.

“My wife was very pregnant and the due date was coming up and I had this with Raheem (Morris - Rams defensive coordinator) going through the interview process with Atlanta and I was getting some looks and interviews and then I had to stop,” Robinson told Peter Schrager of the NFL Network and NFL podcast The Season. “I had to tell people the wife was about to give birth and I had to shut it down.

That was on a Sunday. But as anybody familiar with the coaching carousel at any level knows, the action doesn’t stop even when you tell it to.

“Fast forward to Thursday of that week and Raheen gets the Falcons job, but has to go through all the hoops that go with that becoming official,” Robinson continued with his hiring story. “I had a pretty good idea I was going with Raheem. Fast forward to Saturday and I was actually on the phone with Sean (McVay - Rans head coach) and my wife comes out and I look at her and say ‘You look like we’ve got to go.’

“Two hours later we’re at the hospital and my agent, Kyle McCarthy, agent he’s my best buddy and I’m texting him that we’re at the hospital and for him to let me know what is going on with all of this (job situation),” Robinson said as the story rolled on. “He’s like, ‘Don’t worry about it. I won’t bother you. Take care of business and we’ll figure it out later.’”

Around 3:15 p.m. Zac and his wife Mia are together with no phone call for the birth of their second child Cooper. They also have a duaghter Madi. Just a little later, Zac had a new job in Atlanta.

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Robinson during minicamp with the Atlanta Falcons.

“Fifteen minutes later Kyle texts me and says we’re good to go,” Robinson said. “I get a face time with Raheem and then some other calls from the Falcons. My wife is still there with the doctor but this is moving so fast. I had to call some of the other coaches that I had interviewed with. This thing was moving so fast and I still get grief from my wife to this day that I was in there with the doctors and everything going on conducting business. I’ll probably never here the end of that.”

It was a big move for a really talented college quarterback that became a journeyman for four-years in the NFL and then took an unusual path to NFL coaching.    

Playing for Mike Gundy at Oklahoma State, Robinson posted some awesome numbers. He completed 61 percent of his passes for 8,317-yards with 66 touchdowns and 31 interceptions. He led teams to bowl games in 2007 (insight Bowl), 2008 (Holiday Bowl), and 2009 (Cotton Bowl).

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Robinson at Oklahoma State.

“I was lucky to be around some really good players at Oklahoma State,” Robinson explained. “Dex Bryant was our receiver and I could close my eyes and throw a jump ball and he’d be there. Kendall Hunter was a stud. We had Brandon Pettigrew at tight end. Russell Okunt at tackle. We were stacked and had some good teams there.”

As good as Robinson, was and he rushed for a career 1,858-yards and 22 touchdowns giving him career total offense of 10,075-yards and 88 touchdowns accounted for, he wasn’t the NFL prototype.

“I always wanted to play in the NFL but didn’t know how realistic that was,” Robinson said. “I was a little more kind of a dual threat. I ran a lot in college too. At that time it was still the pocket passers everybody drafted, but I was lucky to get drafted late by the Patriots.”

Robinson spent time with New England, Seattle, Detroit, and finally Cincinnati. He was in Cincy for the longest period. He was only activated onto the 53-man roster in Seattle and in Cincinnati and while he played in plenty of preseason games, he never attempted a single pass in an NFL regular season game.

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Robinson, far right and back to the camera, at Mason Rudolph’s Pro Day.

At Cincinnati he developed arm and elbow issues. He had “Tommy John” surgery to repair his elbow. At that point he told Schrager on the podcast that he pretty much knew that was it for his playing career. He wanted to stay in football and he got into training quarterbacks in Dallas at The Quarterback Ranch. He worked with primarily college and high school quarterbacks, but he did work with some NFL players like Andy Dalton, who was a good friend, and with former OSU teammate Brandon Weeden. Robinson actually designed former OSU quarterback Mason Rudolph’s Pro Day workout and oversaw it during Rudolph’s Pro Day in Stillwater in March of 2018.

Before he dove into coaching, even completely back into football, Robinson tried some other potential careers. He did some job shadowing like for a commercial real estate company, but he realized he wanted to be involved in football. 

Robinson reached out to Pro Football Focus, in the time the company was in it’s infancy doing analytics for NFL teams. For Robinson, the attraction was PFF had access to all of the NFL video. He ended up teaming up with Bobby Slowik. Slowik was coming off being a defensive assistant for the Washington Redskins and was looking to get back into coaching through the same process Robinson was looking to break into NFL coaching.

“Bobby and I ended up working closely together for several years,” Robinson said. “We were breaking down coverages and doing stuff under the PFF umbrella. I’m coming up with stuff and making notes as we are looking at stuff from around the league. Bobby was in Cincinnati and I was just living in Dallas where I was rehabbing my elbow. We would hop on the phone and talk through coverages and have our own conversations about football on the side.”

Obviously, the PFF path worked as Slowik is now the offensive coordinator for the Houston Texans. 

Robinson was gaining experience and making contacts at PFF, but it was his continuing quarterback training that also helped him land the first NFL job. Robinson said he had turned down some college opportunities. Oklahoma State fans had always hoped he’d come back and Robinson said he turned down an opportunity at Oregon. He was down to the point he had decided not to be picky.He was going to take the next opportunity.

“I was training a quarterback Easton Stick (North Dakota State and Los Angeles Chargers) and there was a connection with Sean (McVay) and he interviewed me and hired me the next day,” Robinson said. “I will always be grateful to Sean McVay for giving me that first opportunity.”

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Zac Robinson with the Atlanta Falcons as offensive coordinator.

Robinson was hired as an assistant quarterback coach. McVay later made him the wide receivers coach and then eventually passing game coordinator and quarterbacks coach. 

Robinson made it clear. He talked about having a great wife that is understanding about being in the football world. Robinson said that world was where he always wanted to be. During those Pro Football Focus years and the quarterback turtoring he still wanted the full team experience, being around a team in the locker room and game setting. Robinson said he needed to be in a job and with a group as part of something that is bigger than himself. 

That is really the football way. Zac Robinson is a guy fortunate to have found the path by going off the beaten road.