[mm-video type=video id=01f02b2hbmewcxm22y playlist_id=01eqbz52bnpekkafqb player_id=none image=https://images2.minutemediacdn.com/image/upload/video/thumbnail/mmplus/01f02b2hbmewcxm22y/01f02b2hbmewcxm22y-0b724b4795330e3a25339157d8e4cfec.jpg]
Texas running back Bijan Robinson is widely expected to become a Heisman contender in 2021.
Robinson saw the field sparingly under Tom Herman’s staff before an injury to Keaontay Ingram resulted in the true freshman starting the final six games of the season. The Longhorns went 5-1 in those contests.
The former five-star recruit and the nation’s top running back from the 2020 class dominated when he was Texas’ primary back. His rare athleticism, burst and yards after contact were on full display.
Robinson concluded his freshman campaign with 899 yards from scrimmage and six touchdowns. He was twice named Big 12 Newcomer of the Week (West Virginia and Kansas State), was awarded the Valero Alamo Bowl Offensive MVP and earned honorable mention as Big 12 Offensive Freshman of the Year.
He set the school record for yards per carry in a game with 19.1 against Kansas State and yards per carry for a season with 8.2. On top of that, Robinson averaged 8.9 yards per touch — that’s nearly a first down every time he touched the ball.
Robinson is an explosive playmaker that should benefit greatly from an increased workload in 2021 under Steve Sarkisian. Bleacher Report recently ranked the top 12 big-play threats in college football for this upcoming season.
Texas’ star running back landed at No. 2 overall behind Arizona State’s Rachaad White.
Perhaps nobody will benefit more than a kid who already has all the trappings of being one of college football’s rising stars. That would be sophomore running back Bijan Robinson, who looks like an All-American waiting to happen. The 5-star Arizona product was brought along slow early but finished with a bang.
After five plodding games to start the year, the 6’0″, 222-pound blazer who doubles as a wrecking ball broke out with 113 yards on just 12 carries in a rugged 17-13 win over West Virginia. Iowa State held him in check the next week, but that was the end of that.
Robinson torched Kansas State for 172 yards on nine carries and scored three touchdowns, including a 75-yard scamper in a 69-31 win. He averaged 19.1 yards per carry in the regular-season finale.
Then, against Colorado in the Alamo Bowl, he followed up the performance with 183 yards on 10 carries and a touchdown. He added two catches for 37 yards and another pair of touchdowns.
Of all the weapons Sarkisian inherits, Robinson is the biggest. He may wind up being the most explosive player in college football. – Brad Shepard
Two other Big 12 players were mentioned on the list: TCU running back Zach Evans at No. 10 overall and Oklahoma quarterback Spencer Rattler at No. 8 overall.