Bijan Robinson prepared for an expanded role in crucial 2022 season for Texas, himself
Between launching a mustard brand, adding an official apparel provider, and driving around Austin in a Lamborghini, Texas running back Bijan Robinson had an eventful offseason. But with the season a handful of days away, the Tucson, Ariz. product is ready to do that he does best on the field, and show that all the talk about an improved Texas Longhorns football team is for real.
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“The week is finally here,” Robinson said Monday. “We don’t have to wait anymore. I’m just ready to go and show what we’ve been working on this whole offseason. That’s what I’m most excited about.”
Robinson is coming off of a strong 2021 season where he rushed for 1127 yards and 11 touchdowns despite missing the last two games due to a dislocated elbow. He also caught 26 passes for 295 yards and four touchdowns, and wants to prove this year he can threaten offenses both from the backfield and split out wide.
“When I get to do that and really show what I can do besides being a running back, I think that’s where my game elevates a lot,” Robinson said. “I think that’s what people want to see and I think that’s what this team needs because it creates mismatches linebackers and safeties don’t want throughout the game.”
Even so, Robinson knows he’ll be asked to do most of his work between the tackles. He had 195 carries last year, good for 43 percent of Texas’ total. He also had seven games where he had over 20 touches, including the TCU game where he carried Texas to victory with season-highs of 35 carries and 216 rushing yards.
He is also ready to be the focal point of the Longhorn offense this season. “For me, I’ll give whatever this team needs,” Robinson said.
Plus, Texas is starting a redshirt freshman quarterback in Quinn Ewers, who will make his first career college start versus Louisiana-Monroe on Saturday. Robinson knows the offense will go through him with a young-signal caller at his side, and he even encouraged his backfield-mate to look to him if he ever needs guidance.
“I tell (Ewers) all the time, if you’re unsure of any small details or anything you need, I’m here right next to you,” Robinson said. “You can ask me anything. I know he has to know a lot with this offense. We run a lot of things and put defenses in a bind sometimes because we have so many plays. If he needs anything, all he has to do is ask me right here right beside him, and I’ll give him the information.”
Put in simpler terms, “I just told him that if worst comes to worse, check it down to me.”
Robinson was recently named the fifth-best player in college football by ESPN, a preseason first-team All-American by the AP, and a potential first-round pick by Todd McShay. He possesses an On3 NIL Valuation of $1.6 million, good for a No. 7 ranking among college football players and the No. 10 spot in On3’s NIL 100.
With all that in mind, he knows he has to lead the Longhorns to a successful season to receive college accolades and attention from the professional ranks, let alone potential sponsor. More importantly to Robinson, he knows he has to be a leader to help his team win.
“Becoming the leader, the voice that everybody sees on the team,” Robinson said. “I worked so hard in this offseason to elevate my game in all areas. Now that I can show it on the field and become the player I want to become and I feel that God has made me, I feel that’s what I can bring to this team and that’s what I’m most excited for.”
The season kicks off on Saturday. While a higher-profile opponent in Alabama arrives on September 10, Robinson’s focus is on taking home the victory with his teammates versus ULM on September 3.
“I know everybody is talking about the Alabama game and everything, but we still have to play this first game and we still have to play at 100 percent,” Robinson said.
