After a tough stretch of his football career, Temple tight end David Martin-Robinson is feeling better, both physically and mentally, than he has in a while.
The 6-foot-4, 255-pound graduate student from Lancaster County's Hempfield High School is entering his sixth season as a member of the Owls. Despite battling injuries throughout his career, including a shoulder injury he sustained at Rutgers two years ago that sidelined him for two months during the 2021 season.
Martin-Robinson said Tuesday that he still feels banged up, but his confidence in his team and its ability to succeed this season has him feeling ready to face a new year.
“I’m definitely still feeling the nicks and bruises, the wear-and-tear of so many years,” Martin-Robinson said. “But it’s getting better. I’m feeling pretty good.”
When healthy, Martin-Robinson has been a key piece of the Owls’ offense and is coming off the best statistical season of his career in 2022, finishing with 33 receptions for 366 yards and two touchdowns in nine games, the most he has played in a single season. He missed the first three weeks of the season before returning to play against UMass, catching three passes for 54 yards in his return to the field.
In the last three games, he grabbed 21 catches for 231 yards and scored both of his touchdowns. He caught 10 passes for 114 yards and a touchdown in Temple’s 43-36 shootout loss at Houston last November, and his results improved as he made a stronger connection with quarterback E.J. Warner, now a rising sophomore who’s enjoying the benefit of his first offseason and spring practices.
Martin-Robinson had more time to jell with second-year head coach Stan Drayton and Warner.
“I believe in E.J. wholeheartedly,” Martin-Robinson said of Warner, who threw for 3,028 yards and 18 touchdowns last season. “I know he’s going to put it together. That helped me know I would be taken care of this year.”
The offensive line, in particular, has also caught Martin-Robinson’s eye, despite the losses of experienced players like Adam Klein and Isaac Moore to graduation. Martin-Robinson said midyear transfers like junior Diego Barajas, from California’s Laney College, have shown promise.
“Although they aren’t responding perfectly all the time, I feel there is a huge improvement in how they’re responding to situations and coaching,” Martin-Robinson said. “That’s the biggest thing I’ve seen so far. That has stood out.”
As a whole, Martin-Robinson sees an improved roster that has the capability of posting a much better record than last season’s 3-9 mark.
“A lot of guys see the talent around them, and it’s fostering more belief ,” Martin-Robinson said. “They see that we have all the tools, and a lot of the guys that we brought are the right type of guys off the field and on the field.”