When LSU cornerback Rashard Robinson yanked down his first interception in a Tigers’ uniform against Texas A&M last season, it only took a few seconds for fellow freshman teammate Tre’Davious White to be by his friend’s side to celebrate.
White was the first person to greet Robinson in the end zone that day, and that wasn’t by mistake.
Ever since the pair met at the IMG football camp in Robinson’s home state of Florida their senior year of high school, they’ve been brothers on and off the field.
“He watched me run the 40 [yard dash] and after that, me and him have just been close, really,” Robinson said.
Through film study, team bonding activities and late night talks outside their residence hall, the freshmen defensive backs have been inseparable during their first year in Baton Rouge.
“We’re like brothers,” White said. “We’re always hanging out together. We try to do things to get away from football, to up our relationship and make us even tighter off the football field. That’ll make the on-the-field stuff easier.”
Football is such a big part of their everyday lives, White and Robinson both agreed it’s necessary to get out of the house for some non-football nights.
White said one of their favorite off-the-field activities is to go play laser tag at Quarters, an arcade on S. Sherwoood Forest Boulevard. It may be odd to imagine a pair of world-class athletes strapping on vests and gearing up for fictional battle, but the trips have become so popular, the entire secondary has joined the tradition.
“Rashard [is the best],” White said. “He always goes and he sort of invited us knowing that he was going to be a winner in it. I’m getting better at it now, but Rashard knows all the sweet spots in it.”
Robinson simply laughed off the prospect of being the best laser tag player, but he said he did enjoy how the game brings the secondary closer together. Even though it has nothing to do with football, it gives them something to bring back to the field through team unity and communication.
“Just from us being around each other so much, just always together, it’s like clockwork,” Robinson said. “Just going out there and making sure our communication is key and go out there and ball.”
White said football isn’t completely off limits during the team outings, but there is a conscious effort to limit the amount of football talk that goes on. The time away is their time to get their minds off the game they spend every other waking moment with.
“We have to have that type of relationship where we can talk about stuff outside of football.” White said. “We bring it up every once in a while, but we’re around football so much that we kind of want to get our mind off of it and be stress free.”