Jovon Robinson Dismissed from Auburn: Details, Comments and Reaction

The Auburn Tigers dismissed running back Jovon Robinson from the team on Wednesday.

Per John Zenor of the Associated Press, Auburn head coach Gus Malzahn did not specify why Robinson was dismissed, only saying Robinson "did not meet [his] standards or expectations of what it takes to be an Auburn Tiger football player."

Malzahn did go on to say that the Tigers will have "zero distractions on this team this year." Four Auburn football players were arrested in May for possession of marijuana, although Robinson was not one of them.

Robinson responded to his dismissal on Thursday, speaking with James Crepea of AL.com:

"Everything about [the] Auburn coaching staff is not what it seems," Robinson said, per Crepea. "Just because I don't walk around with [a] fake smile, they feel like they [can] say or try to force anything."

"I was stereotyped and disrespected. The football players are not happy with this."

On Friday, Crepea reported Robinson was dismissed due to multiple incidents, one involving a teammate and one involving a young woman.

He was the Tigers' top returning rusher in 2016. Peyton Barber led last year's squad with 1,016 rushing yards and 13 touchdowns, but he left for the NFL after his sophomore season. 

Compounding the problems for Malzahn in the backfield—with exactly one month before the season begins—is that Roc Thomas, who was third on the Tigers with 261 rushing yards last year, transferred to Jacksonville State in June. 

In just eight games in 2015, Robinson ran for 639 yards on 117 carries. He had a career-high 159 yards in a 26-10 win over Texas A&M on November 7. 

As things stand, Kam Martin could emerge as the top running back for Auburn this season. He signed with the Tigers after being released from his scholarship to Baylor. There's not a lot of experience in the Tigers backfield right now, but Malzahn's spread-option attack has a knack for churning out running backs. 

Tom Fornelli of CBS Sports broke down the running back situation in Auburn with Robinson gone:

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That leaves sophomore Kerryon Johnson -- whom Malzahn had working with the first team in practice in Robinson's absence -- and freshman Malik Miller. Kameron Martin, a four-star member of Auburn's latest recruiting class, just joined the team this summer, though it's possible he could take on a bigger role than Auburn had been planning to give him.

Of that trio, only Johnson has seen time in a game, rushing for 208 yards on 52 carries last season. An injury to any of them -- and running backs take a lot of hits -- would leave Auburn awful thin at one of its most important positions.

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Auburn also has a quarterback quandary to work through after Jeremy Johnson struggled in 2015 and split playing time with Sean White. Things are not looking good for the Tigers this season, especially coming off a disappointing 7-6 campaign.