It may be a little too early in the year, but new head coach Steve Sarkisian has been giving Longhorn faithful plenty to be excited about.
Sarkisian just got done singing the 17th ranked recruiting class for 2021 according to 247 Sports and he’s filled his coaching vacancies with proven successful coaches. As mentioned previously, the arrow surrounding the Texas football program is now pointing upward.
If we take a look at some of their highly-touted players returning, it’s reasonable to think that the Longhorns could have a few potential award winners. Not only are these players already extremely talented in their own rights — they now have a great coaching staff to heighten their play.
Here are six Texas players that could be on the watch list for some of college football’s most coveted awards.
Bijan Robinson, RB
Freshman phenom Bijan Robinson had a remarkable freshman season despite only 86 carries for 703 yards and four touchdowns on the ground. In fact, the most carries he had in a game was 16 against Iowa State.
However, if we factor in his 8.2 yards per carry, it makes his numbers look even better. For perspective, looking at Sarkisian’s last ‘lead dawg’ in running back Najee Harris, he averaged 230 carries per season. At Robinson’s rate per carry, that equals out to 1,886 yards. That would be the fourth-highest yards in a single season for Texas behind Ricky Williams (twice) and D’Onta Foreman.
The Heisman Trophy is a bold prediction but it’s not unheard of to attach Robinson’s name to the Maxwell or Doak Walker awards.