Mullins Has His Goals All Set

It’s 3 a.m., and while most of his classmates at Los Angeles Dorsey are asleep, Robert Mullins is finishing homework assignments for physics and trigonometry, and hardly complaining.

Someone ought to shout, “Hallelujah!” when Mullins enters a room, because he’s a prime example of what can happen when a 16-year-old actually listens to his parents’ preaching.

In every aspect of his life, he makes them proud. He’s the leading tackler as a junior linebacker for Dorsey’s football team. He’s an honors student who takes Advanced Placement history and English classes. He plays basketball and finished fifth in the long jump at the City Championships. He goes to church every Sunday. Most of all, he understands what high school is all about.

“It’s overwhelming,” he said. “I’m never asleep. It’s a very big challenge, but I’m willing to do it. I have a hard drive. I want to be successful. There’s going to be a lot harder things to do in life than just homework. It’s a privilege.”

His mother, Cheryl, said her oldest child has been an “engineer type” since he was 5.

“He’s always been disciplined,” she said. “He’s always been precise. When he says he’s going to do it, he’ll do it.”

Mullins is sometimes so exhausted from going to school at 6 a.m. and returning home at 9 p.m. after football practice, that he’ll decide to go immediately to sleep, then wake at 2 or 3 a.m. to finish his homework. He’ll go back to sleep for another hour and start the process all over.

“That’s how I was raised,” he said. “I have good parents. They didn’t take anything less than A’s and Bs, and I followed what they told me to do. I didn’t rebel.”

Mullins saves his rebellious behavior for the football field, where he replaces his glasses with contacts and changes from an industrious, calm student into an aggressive, physical tackler.

“He’s one of the most intense players I’ve ever coached,” defensive coordinator Ralph Caldwell said.

For 12 consecutive years, Dorsey has produced at least one All-City linebacker, and Mullins is expected to keep that streak alive this season. In fact, the Dons could have three All-City linebackers with Mullins, senior Mark Johnson and junior Ryan Johnson.

Mullins is the player responsible for getting his teammates to make adjustments on the field by watching what the offensive linemen are doing. He’s a polite, well-mannered individual who knows how to play the game.

“I try my best, and if you’re not physical, you’re going to get hurt,” he said. “There’s 300-pounders looking for you. When I see them coming, I have to take them on. That’s being a middle linebacker.”

His father, Robert II, is an L.A. County sheriff. His mother works for FedEx. Together, they make sure Robert and his younger brother, Marcus, a sophomore, always know someone is around to help them.

“They see a parent when they wake up,” Cheryl said. “They see a parent when they go to sleep. They see a parent pick them up. Whatever they need to succeed, we get it.”

Mullins has figured out what the job of a parent entails.

“They put a house over my head,” he said. “I think getting good grades and listening to them is the least I can do.”

Coaches search the country for players capable of handling the rigors of college life. Thanks to his parents, Mullins is ready for the next step. He enjoys fun and games but understands that he has an obligation to prepare for the future.

“I don’t like to fail, whether it be in sports or the classroom,” he said. “If I fail, it’s a weakness. I don’t like having a weakness.”

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Eric Sondheimer can be reached at eric.sondheimer@latimes.com.