Andrew Robison – A Tennessee sixth grader is believed to be the youngest player to ever throw a touchdown pass in a regular season high school varsity football game. Franklin Christian Academy’s Andrew Robison measures in at just 5-feet-1 and 100 pounds, but looms larger than anybody else in the record books after tossing a 63-yard touchdown pass to junior Aaron Thon in last Friday’s game against McClain Christian Academy.
No formal record exists, but Robison is believed to have ventured into unchartered waters with his performance.
Southern California commit David Sills threw nine touchdown passes as an eighth-grader in 2010, while future Kentucky All-American and NFL first-round draft pick Tim Couch played varsity football as a seventh grader while backing up his older brother.
Many state high school governing bodies don’t allow players to suit up for varsity teams. Unlike neighboring states Mississippi and Kentucky, Tennessee’s state governing body, the Tennessee Secondary School Athletic Association (TSSAA), does not permit any student below the ninth grade to play varsity athletics.
Robison can do so because Franklin Christian is not a member of the TSSAA, although it regularly competes against schools that are. He normally plays with the school’s middle school team, but will see some varsity action as well this fall because of the school’s small roster size.
Robison even teamed up with the school’s starting quarterback K.C. Jorgensen, catching a 2-yard fade pass for a touchdown.
Jorgensen had gone down with cramps when Robison got the call for relief. Lined up in the shotgun formation, he hit Thon in stride on a slant pattern and the receiver did the rest. Robison played just three other snaps the rest of the way, throwing two incomplete passes and handing off once.
And what do Robison’s parents think of their quick-released prodigy? Well, let’s just say they’re OK with it. Robison’s father, Drew Robison, is Franklin Christian Academy’s coach.
The team and their preteen backup quarterback lost last week’s game, 66-30, but will look to rebound this week against The Webb School.
