Bijan Robinson says last season gives Texas 'different motivation' for 2022

One of the more intriguing teams in college football this year is Texas in year two of the Steve Sarkisian era. The Longhorns went 5-7 — and Bijan Robinson said that number is a motivator for this season.

Speaking with Ari Temkin and Dave Archer on SiriusXM’s Big 12 Radio, Robinson said Texas has a “different motivation” for 2022 after a rough go last year. The Longhorns missed out on a bowl game since 2016, and Robinson said he and his teammates have heard about the record a lot this offseason. That’s why he said things will be different this year.

“I think that it was a big learning lesson for us,” Robinson said. “It humbled us to heights that we couldn’t even think of. Hearing the constant, even this offseason, just the constant ‘5-7’ from outside people to even the coaching staff, that brings a different motivation to the team. It brings a different motivation to you, individually, because I think that we didn’t have a great season last year.

“But I think … what we did last year, I think it makes a big deal for how it sets us up this year. I think that us having to deal with all of what we had to deal with last year puts a lot of perspective on what we’re trying to accomplish now. We had to deal with the hardship, we had to deal with all the controversy around the team. Now that that’s all behind us, we just have a different focus and a different motivation going into this season.”

How Texas revamped roster for 2022 season

Texas hit the transfer portal hard this offseason to try and build the roster for success in 2022. The highest-profile addition came when Quinn Ewers transferred in from Ohio State. The former Five Star Plus+ recruit was the No. 4 transfer in the portal, according to the On3 Transfer Portal Rankings, and is expected to compete to replace Casey Thompson at quarterback.

In addition, the Longhorns brought in two Alabama transfers: wide receiver Agiye Hall and tight end Jahleel Billingsley. Former Wyoming wide receiver Isaiah Neyor — the No. 9 transfer in the portal, according to the On3 Transfer Portal Rankings — is also on his way to Austin. All told, Texas brought in four of On3’s top-50 transfers.

On top of that, the Longhorns hauled in the No. 5 recruiting class in the nation, according to the On3 Consensus Team Recruiting Ranking. Five-star offensive linemen Devon Campbell and Kelvin Banks are the two highest-rated recruits, coming in as the nation’s No. 12 and No. 19 recruits, respectively, according to the On3 Consensus, a complete and equally weighted industry-generated average that utilizes all four major recruiting media companies.