Vols' Jashon Robertson proves no freshman course more challenging than football

 Jashon Robertson is a long way from his freshman season at Tennessee. The senior offensive guard is about to enter his fourth season as a starter.

And he’s more apt to give advice than ask for it. A freshman at any position could learn something from Robertson, who was asked at SEC Football Media days to address the challenges facing a college freshman.

He didn’t just talk about the physical demands of a college season. He discussed the mental strain as well.

Listening to him, I was reminded why I’ve long thought college football players should receive academic credit for football. That’s especially true for freshmen.

The transition from high school to college is a challenge even if you don’t play football. It’s magnified if you’re going from high school to college football. And it’s surely worth at least five hours of credit toward a degree.

Freshmen are taking general courses anyway, regardless of their major. None of those courses require as much time as football.

It’s not just the practice or the game. It’s all the video studying that goes with it. That’s compounded for any freshman.

Think back to what Robertson went through. He reported to his first preseason camp thinking he would be a defensive lineman. He quickly was switched to the offensive line to fill a position of need.

He has been starting ever since then.

Now he’s in the position of counseling another freshman, Trey Smith, who probably will start on the offensive line.

“He’s young,” Robertson said. “Sometimes it’s easy to forget that because he’s so big, like a lot of guys in our room.”

RELATED

• Vols' Jashon Robertson loves the competition on offensive line
• Tennessee's Jashon Robertson takes Uber for home-cooked feast

Never mind the size, talent or all the praise heaped on him by recruiting services. A freshman can’t fully appreciate what his first college season will be like until he goes through it.

“As a young guy coming out of high school, it’s very hard to anticipate what a season is going to feel like for your body,” Robertson said. “Just learning how to take care of your body. Also, learning the speed of the game. There are certain things I experienced that I had never experienced before.”

That’s not surprising. But when he revisited his freshman season, he also stressed the mental fatigue that went with it.

“You go through the game preparation in your mind,” he said. “You go through the Vol Walk. You go through the pregame routine. They’re all great things. But at the same time, they take a certain amount of mental energy.”

Robertson thought back to his first Tennessee game and all the mental energy that went with it. He felt as though he had invested a game’s worth of work when he looked up at the scoreboard.

It was only halftime.

“It’s a whole other commitment to the game itself,” he said. “Going through that week in and week out.”

Don’t tell me that’s not worth a few college credits.

Reach John Adams at 865-342-6284 or john.adams@knoxnews.com and on Twitter@johnadamskns.

More from John Adams:

Tennessee needs to know its kicker's range

Tennessee's passing game could be biggest surprise of season

Tennessee football media: Butch Jones' job safe if Vols go 9-3

Tennessee Vols' five worst plays of the Butch Jones Era

Vols' five best plays of the Butch Jones Era

Tennessee's 2018 recruiting class could help save Jones' job

Vols running behind rest of SEC in rushing

Key Vols opponents also uncertain about quarterback

Butch Jones' Tennessee Vols on a streak-busting binge, but there's more to end