College football’s most prestigious award has not called Austin, Texas, home since the 1998 season. Running back Ricky Williams won the Heisman Trophy after rushing for 2,124 yards and 27 touchdowns, joining Earl Campbell as the only two Longhorns to win the trophy.
Former quarterback Vince Young was the runner-up to Reggie Bush’s eventual stripped award in 2005, while Colt McCoy finished second in 2008 and third in 2009.
Since then, Texas has not come close to sniffing a potential Heisman candidate. A decade of mediocre football may have caused this, but even the special talent being recruited never lived up to expectations.
That’s until running back Bijan Robinson stepped foot on campus. From his high school tape and numbers alone, figuring out he is special was not difficult. After his first full season for the Longhorns, it’s clear that the next great Texas running back is ready to break out to the rest of the country.
After seeing how Steve Sarkisian used Najee Harris last season at Alabama, Robinson has the chance to have a historic season. History was already broken during his freshman season, as Robinson holds the record for the most yards per carry in Texas football during a season at 8.2.
Here is what Robinson had to say about Heisman hopes:
“I know there’s a lot of hype around the Heisman Trophy and all that stuff, but I don’t pay attention to that stuff. If you start paying attention, you start getting a big head and wont work as hard.”
Wide receiver has been a position of concern for Texas throughout spring practice. Even if one of the quarterbacks emerges as a starter and can elevate his receivers, Robinson is going to be heavily relied on. The opportunity to put up gaudy numbers will be there.
“I feel like he’s utilizing us in every single way that he can, and it’s been a good look ever since he’s been here,” Robinson said of Sarkisian.
Even if Robinson will not say it out loud, getting to New York has to be one of the few dreams he brought with him to Texas. He’ll have two, possibly three, seasons to see his dreams come true.