The Longhorn RB Pantheon: Ranking Bijan Robinson
I often rank all-time Longhorn players and doing a podcast ranking the Top 5 all-time Longhorn running backs in early 2021 was no easy task. At the time of recording, Bijan Robinson had just finished an explosive freshman season. One to watch, but without sufficient scalps for consideration.
[Get FOUR MONTHS of Inside Texas Plus for $1!]
I circled back again.
Before the 2022 season, I wondered where Bijan Robinson would finish ranked in the all-time Longhorn RB pantheon. With his outstanding junior season likely concluding his time in Austin, it’s now time to fully appreciate the 2022 Doak Walker Award Winner and the best running back in all of college football.
Joe Cook does a great job of breaking down his final season resume and career statistics in his Doak Walker Award appreciation and it’s worth your time to put him into proper context.
Production
Robinson finishes as the 4th leading rusher in Longhorn history behind Campbell, Williams and Benson. He’s also a better receiving threat than the other elite runners in the Longhorn pantheon, though Eric Metcalf was still the best I’ve ever seen out of the backfield. Production was the only thing keeping Bijan from the Top 5 in the summer and he met that challenge with a terrific junior season.
Talent
Early on, Bijan anchored himself not only as one of the most talented runners in Texas history, but also one of the most unique. No other Texas runner had a skill set like his and the inability to find apt comparisons for Robinson’s style and strengths merely reinforces why he’s so singular and impressive.
He’s a better pure runner than Cedric Benson, but the late great Benson’s epic toughness, endurance and reliability were a contrast to Bijan missing some game time as a freshman and sophomore. In fact, his junior season was the first time we saw Bijan enjoy consistent and true bell cow status. He met the challenge and proved that durability is an ability.
It’s hard to break into the Earl/Ricky pantheon when looking at the talent/production combo.
Jamaal Charles was probably the most similar player to Bijan in career trajectory. Everyone saw the glaring talent, but their third years were their true breakout. On the field, Charles had less power and size than Robinson, but JC’s slippery acceleration and game speed is without peer in Texas history.
Receiving and blocking are also under appreciated talent factors. Bijan proved to be elite in the former, less so in the latter.
Ricky Williams probably remains the most complete running back in Texas history.
Significance
Aside from being a fantastic person and representative for Texas as well as an elite off-the-field citizen, modern significance isn’t so easy to come by. Bijan wasn’t born in a time where black superstardom was ground-breaking like a Leaks or Campbell. Nor did he ever hold college demigod status like Williams or Campbell, who became Paul Bunyanesque figures. He’ll simply have to be satisfied with being the purest and best running back in college football in 2022 and one of the most admired athletes in Longhorn history. That’s not too bad.
Oh yes. There is one more item of significance. Like Ricky Williams and Eric Metcalf, he showed elite out of state runners that Texas is a place where they could fulfill their dreams.
Flavor
You can’t define it, but you know it when you see it.
Every elite Longhorn runner is a joy to watch, but whether you admired Campbell’s absurd power and intimidation, Ricky’s power/quickness/vision combo, the ridiculous blazing speed and quickness of Jamaal Charles, or Cedric Benson’s workmanlike ability to fall forward irrespective of how many tackler hit him, any running back connoisseur has to love Bijan’s game. Whether clowning defenders with vicious cuts that physics suggests a 215 pound man shouldn’t be able to make or driving piles an extra five yards when defenders thought they were making contact with a finesse back, Bijan is for the purest of running back aficionados.
Final Thoughts
Production finally met what we always knew about his talent and style. Bijan Robinson is one of the greatest runners to ever play for Texas. If forced to make a ranking, I’d put him tied for third with Jamaal Charles all-time, behind Williams and Campbell. If you want to make him third alone, I won’t argue. That’s truly elite company.
It’s one thing to learn of legends, it’s another to watch them being made. We got to watch Bijan Robinson being made. I hope you counted your blessings every Saturday.
