UCLA commit's parent says no one wants to play 'in empty stadiums'
UCLA has six known commitments in the 2023 cycle so far, two from blue-chip recruits.
One of those recruits — and the highest-rated known commit — was watching on Saturday when UCLA set a record low for attendance at the Rose Bowl. Roderick Robinson, father of 4-star running back Roderick Robinson II, weighed in on the issue on Twitter.
“No kid wants to play in empty stadiums,” Robinson said.
Fan bases are also important to recruits. No kid wants to play in empty stadiums. I don’t care who the opponent is or what the weather is like, the fans have to show up. Fans play an important role in recruiting too. Stop just blaming the coaches.
— Roderick Robinson (@RodRobSr) September 5, 2022
The Bruins kicked off against Bowling Green shortly after 11:30 a.m. PT on Saturday. They played through the heat of the day as the temperature climbed above 100. In a stadium that offered little in the way of shade, huge chunks of the stands sat empty throughout the game.
That’s got to include 20,000 season ticket holders who didn’t show up pic.twitter.com/eanX50ji1v
— Ed Espinoza (@EdEspinoza) September 3, 2022
On Monday, Bruin head coach Chip Kelly shrugged off any concern about fan interest in the program.
“Our job is to play football,” he said. “We’ve won our last four, on the Ben Bolch momentum meter, I think everything is going in the right direction. We’ve won all four by more than 25 points, so our players are doing what they’re supposed to do and preparing to do all those things. We can’t control the weather, so I’m not concerned about it.
“We always struggle early in the year no matter where you are because we don’t have the students on campus. We don’t start classes until the end of the month, so that’s always been an issue when you’re playing the early-season games.”