Bijan Robinson

OVERVIEW

Summary: Bijan (bee-ZHAHN) is the complete package and could become focal point of an offense, even in the pass-happy NFL. His became the first Longhorn rush for more than 1,500 yards while collecting more than 300 yards receiving in a single season and his 3,410 yards rushing in three seasons is fourth in school history, behind some big names — Rickey Williams, Cedric Benson and Earl Campbell, who each played four seasons at Texas. Williams (1999) and Campbell (1978) were No. 1 overall picks and Benson (2005) was No. 4 overall. Even in today's NFL, Robinson has that same draft value. Has innate ability to sucker defenders into whiffing on a tackle, leading the FBS by forcing 104 missed tackles. If that doesn’t work, he is strong enough to run over you. Excellent receiver who should be one of the most dynamic running backs in the NFL as a rookie. This is one of the top three elite talents in this draft.   

FRANKLY: In this case, forget the NFL's mindset on devaluing running backs and take him. He has the ability to demand extra attention from defenses and will be a factor whether he is running, receiving or just eating up attention on play-action. He will be some quarterback's best friend.  

NOTES

A third-year running back who has played in 31 games and made 28 starts ... winner of the 2022 Doak Walker Award … ranks fourth all-time in Longhorn history with 3,410 rushing yards and 41 total touchdowns (33 rushing, eight receiving) … unanimous All-American in 2022, the fourth UT running back to earn the honor, joining James Saxton (1961), Earl Campbell (1977) and Ricky Williams (1997, ‘98)  … finished ninth in Heisman Trophy voting in 2022 … has 18 career 100-yard rushing games, including a streak of seven-straight games that is the third-longest in program history … his 33 career rushing touchdowns are the third-most in Texas history … ranks fourth all-time in UT history in tandem yards (4,215), eighth in all-purpose yards (4,231) and ninth in points scored (246) … has 805 career receiving yards, the third-most all-time for a Texas running back … his eight career receiving touchdowns are the most-ever for a Texas running back … a 2022 preseason watch list candidate for the Walter Camp Player of the Year, Maxwell Award, Doak Walker Award, Earl Campbell Tyler Rose Award and Wuerffel Trophy ... chosen the 2022 Big 12 Preseason Offensive Player of the year and a unanimous selection to the All-Big 12 Preseason Team ... named a preseason first-team All-American and first-team All-Big 12 by Phil Steele in 2022 ... a 2022 first-team All-Big 12 Preseason selection by Athlon Sports ... tabbed by the Walter Camp Football Foundation and the Sporting News as a Preseason First-Team All-American ... named a 2021 semifinalist for the Maxwell Award, Doak Walker Award and Earl Campbell Tyler Rose Award … an All-Big 12 First Team honoree by league coaches and the Associated Press … also earned honorable mention Big 12 Offensive Player of the Year … was twice named the Big 12 Offensive Player of the Week (vs. Louisiana, vs. TCU) … garnered midseason All-American honors from the Associated Press, CBS Sports, ESPN, The Athletic and The Sporting News … a 2021 preseason watch list candidate for the Maxwell Award and Doak Walker Award ... selected to the 2021 Walter Camp Football Foundation Player of the Year watch list  ... a preseason first-team All-American and first-team All-Big 12 selection by Phil Steele in 2021 ... selected to the ESPN Preseason All-America team … named to the 2021 Walter Camp Football Foundation Preseason All-America Second Team ... a 2021 first team All-Big 12 Preseason selection by Athlon Sports ... chosen to the 2021 All-Big 12 Preseason Team ... earned honorable mention as Big 12 Offensive Freshman of the Year in 2020 ... was twice named Big 12 Newcomer of the Week (vs. West Virginia, at Kansas State) ... the 2020 Valero Alamo Bowl Offensive MVP ... set the school record for yards per carry in a game (19.1 vs. Kansas State) and for a season (8.2 ypc) as a freshman ... made his debut versus UTEP and his first start versus Baylor in 2020 ... was an All-American and two-time state player of the year in Arizona ... participated in the 2020 All-American Bowl ... the first player in Arizona high school football history to twice win the Ed Doherty Award as the state’s top player ... left high school as Arizona’s all-time touchdown leader (114) and its leading rusher (7,036) ... was the first running back in state history to top 2,000 yards in three-straight seasons ... named to the Academic All-Big 12 First Team in 2021 and 2022 ... a three-time member of the Big 12 Commissioner’s Honor Roll (fall 2020, spring 2021, spring 2022).  

STATS

YEAR (GP/GS)  CAR    YDS     AVG    TD      REC     YDS    AVG  TD

2020: (9/6)         86       703       8.2      4            15       196    13.1    2

2021: (10/10)     195     1,127    5.8     11           26       295    11.3    4

2022: (12/12)     258     1,580    6.1     18           19       314    16.5    2

Total: (31/28)    539     3,410     6.3     33           60       805    13.4    8

HISTORY — From College Profile

Junior (2022): Doak Walker Award winner … a unanimous first-team All-American … named a first-team All-American by the American Football Coaches Association, the Associated Press, the Football Writers Association of America, the Sporting News and the Walter Camp Football Foundation … finalist for the Earl Campbell Tyler Rose Award … tabbed a semifinalist for the Walter Camp Player of the Year Award … a unanimous first-team All-Big 12 selection by both the Big 12 Conference head coaches and the Associated Press … earned honorable mention as Big 12 Offensive Player of the Year … tabbed the Dave Campbell’s Texas Football Best Running Back and a first-team All-Texas selection … played in and started 12 games ... carried the ball 258 times for 1,580 yards (6.1 ypc) and 18 touchdowns with 19 receptions for 314 yards and two touchdowns … his 1,580 rushing yards and 1,894 all-purpose yards rank seventh in a season in program history while his 18 rushing touchdowns and 1,894 tandem yards are fifth … has scored 120 points this season, tied for sixth in Texas’ all-time single-season rankings … the 314 receiving yards are the eighth-most in a season by a UT running back … carried the ball 10 times for 71 yards and one touchdown and added three receptions for 40 yards and one touchdown in a victory over ULM … rushed 21 times for 57 yards and one touchdown and hauled in three passes for 73 yards versus Alabama … rushed for 183 yards and three touchdowns on 20 carries, including a career-long 78-yard touchdown run against UTSA … also caught a 19-yard pass … marked the third time in his career he rushed for three touchdowns … had 16 carries for 103 yards and two touchdowns at Texas Tech and added a 22-yard reception … carried the ball 21 times for 101 yards and one touchdown and caught two passes for 34 yards against West Virginia … rushed 22 times for 130 yards and two touchdowns and hauled in two receptions for 15 yards in a victory over Oklahoma in the Red River Showdown … netted 135 yards on 28 carries and caught four passes for 36 yards in a win over Iowa State … had 24 carries for 140 yards and one touchdown and a 41-yard touchdown reception at Oklahoma State … rushed for 209 yards on 30 carries with one touchdown at Kansas State and caught two passes for 24 yards … notched the second 200-yard rushing game of his career …  marked his seventh-consecutive game 100-yard rushing game, the third-longest streak in program history … caught a pass for the 24th consecutive game, the eighth-longest streak in UT history … rushed for 243 yards and four touchdowns on 25 carries (9.7 ypc) at Kansas … his 243 rushing yards are the 16th-highest single-game total for a Longhorn and his four rushing scores tied for seventh-most … marked the third 200-yard rushing game of his career, tied for third-most all-time at Texas … teamed with Jonathon Brooks (108 rushing yards) to become the third Longhorn running back duo to have a 200-yard rusher and 100-yard rusher in the same game …. also the 40th time UT had two or more players with at least 100 rushing yards in a game … earned Big12 Conference Offensive Player of the Week honors for his standout performance against the Jayhawks … carried the ball 29 times for 179 yards and two touchdowns against Baylor … named the Big 12 Conference Co-Offensive Player of the Week for his stellar outing versus the Bears … was his ninth 100-yard rushing game of the year (12th in UT history) and 18th of his career (fourth in UT history) …  marked his fifth multi-rushing touchdown game and seventh multi-score game of the season … has scored a touchdown in 10 of 12 games played.

Sophomore (2021): Named first-team All-Big 12 by conference coaches and the Associated Press … Maxwell Award, Doak Walker Award and Earl Campbell Tyler Rose Award semifinalist … earned honorable mention as Big 12 Offensive Player of the Year ... played in and started 10 games ... carried the ball 195 times for a team-leading 1,127 yards and 11 touchdowns ... also caught 26 passes for 295 yards and four touchdowns … his 1,127 yards rushing are the 14th-most in a season in program history … became the first Longhorn to surpass 1,000 rushing yards since 2016 (D’Onta Foreman) ... became the 55th Longhorn with 1,000 career rushing yards … also the 13th Longhorn to surpass 1,000 rushing yards in a season … had six 100-yard rushing games, tied for 11th-most in a season in UT history and fourth-most by a sophomore … it marked the most games of 100 yards rushing in a season since D’Onta Foreman in 2016 ... tied for the fifth-longest streak in program history with five consecutive 100-yard rushing games … recorded 12 explosive plays (20-plus yards) with nine rushing and three receiving … ranked second in the Big 12 Conference and eighth nationally in all-purpose yards (142.2 ypg) … despite missing the final two games of the season, he placed third in the Big 12 and eighth in the nation in rushing yards per game (112.7) … also finished third in the conference in scoring (nine points per game) and total touchdowns (15), while placing fifth in yards per carry (5.78) … teamed with Roschon Johnson (569 rushing yards) to become the eighth running back duo in UT history with a 1,000- and 500-yard rusher and the first since 2001 (Cedric Benson - 1,053; Ivan Williams - 519) ... moved to 21st on the Texas all-time rushing list at 1,830 rushing yards ... rushed 20 times for 103 yards and one touchdown and caught four passes for 73 yards and one score in the season-opening win against Louisiana … named the Walter Camp National FBS Offensive Player of the Week … also chosen the Big 12 Offensive Player of the Week … earned Earl Campbell Tyler Rose Award honorable mention honors … carried the ball 19 times for 69 yards and one touchdown at Arkansas … tallied 127 yards on 13 carries with three touchdowns versus Rice … included one score for 62 yards … earned his second Earl Campbell Tyler Rose Award honorable mention nod … had 137 yards on 18 carries against Texas Tech, as well as two receptions for 54 yards and a touchdown … marked the second game of the season and third time in his career with 100-plus rushing yards and 50-plus receiving yards … the three games of 100 rushing yards and 50 receiving yards are one behind Cedric Benson for most in UT history … registered a career-high 216 rushing yards on 35 carries with two touchdowns in a victory at TCU … the 216 yards are the 21st most in UT history and the most since D’Onta Foreman rushed for 250 yards versus Kansas in 2016 … earned Big 12 Offensive Player of the Week honors … named the Earl Campbell Tyler Rose Award Player of the Week … carried the ball 20 times for 137 yards and one touchdown against Oklahoma in the Red River Showdown … ran 21 times for 135 yards and two touchdowns and had three receptions for 38 yards and one touchdown against Oklahoma State … marked his third multi-touchdown game of the season and fifth of his career … was also the fourth time he scored three touchdowns in a game … the fifth consecutive 100-yard rushing game … rushed 17 times for 43 yards and one touchdown at Baylor … carried the ball 18 times for 90 yards and caught a career-high eight passes for 36 yards at Iowa State … tallied 70 yards on 14 carries and had three receptions for 48 yards and one touchdown against Kansas.

Freshman (2020): Earned honorable mention as Big 12 Offensive Freshman of the Year ... played in nine games and started six times ... started the final six games of the season, with Texas going 5-1 in those outings ... carried the ball 86 times for a team-high 703 yards and four touchdowns ... also caught 15 passes for 196 yards and two touchdowns ... broke school records for yards per carry in a game (19.1 ypc at Kansas State) and in a season (8.2 ypc) ... recorded a team-high 14 explosive plays (20-plus yards), the most by a Longhorn in 2020 ... ten were as a runner, and four as a receiver ... despite appearing in only nine games, his 14 explosive plays were the sixth-most in a season by a UT running back since Ricky Williams’ Heisman Trophy-winning season in 1998 ... rushed five times for 38 yards and caught two passes for nine yards in the season opener against UTEP, his collegiate debut ... carried the ball five times for 17 yards and caught two passes for 39 yards in his first AT&T Red River Showdown against Oklahoma ... tallied 55 rushing yards on 12 carries in his first career start, a home win over Baylor ... rushed 13 times for 59 yards and caught two passes for eight yards in Texas’ comeback road win at No. 6 Oklahoma State ... carried the ball 12 times for 113 yards and caught two passes for 38 yards versus West Virginia ... marked his first 100-yard rushing game as a Longhorn ... did not lose yardage on any of his 12 carries against the Mountaineers ... was named the Big 12 Newcomer of the Week and appeared on the FWAA’s Fresh Four following his breakout day ... logged 54 rushing yards on 16 carries versus No. 13 Iowa State ... posted the best game of his young career in the regular season finale at Kansas State, rushing nine times for 172 yards and three touchdowns ... also caught three passes for 51 yards ... his 172 rushing yards, three touchdowns, three receptions and 51 receiving yards were all career-high marks ... his 172 rushing yards rank as the eighth-most by a freshman in Texas history ... his three touchdowns are tied for the second-most in a game by a freshman on UT record ... regardless of class, his rushing total was the best by a Longhorn since D’Onta Foreman tallied 250 yards against Kansas during his Doak Walker Award-winning season in 2016 ... broke Gib Dawson’s 69-year-old school record for yards per carry in a game (min. 8 carries) by averaging 19.1 yards per carry (172 yds/9 carries) against the Wildcats ... became the first Longhorn to record at least 150 rushing yards and 50 receiving yards in the same game since Cedric Benson versus Kansas in 2001 ... broke a 75-yard touchdown run in the third quarter, marking the sixth-longest run by a freshman in school history ... was one of four explosive plays (20-plus yards) he recorded against K-State ... also had runs of 27 and 30 yards, as well as a 27-yard reception from QB Sam Ehlinger ... scored his first collegiate touchdown with a 12-yard run on Texas’ opening possession ... marked the second 100-yard game of his career ... was named the Big 12 Newcomer of the Week for the second time following his performance versus Kansas State ... also received honorable mention as the Earl Campbell Tyler Rose Award Player of the Week ... earned Valero Alamo Bowl Offensive MVP honors after rushing for 183 yards and one touchdown on 10 carries versus Colorado ... also caught two passes for 37 yards, both of which resulted in touchdowns ... his 183 rushing yards were the most ever by a UT freshman in a bowl game, and the fourth-most by a Longhorn, regardless of class ... was the sixth-best rushing game in terms of yardage by a Texas freshman ... was the best rushing performance by a freshman in Big 12 history ... also set a Big 12 record for yards per carry (18.3 ypc) in a bowl game, a mark that was held by Colorado’s Cortlen Johnson for 21 years ... marked his third 100-yard game of the season, tied for the third-most by a freshman on UT record ... Cedric Benson (5 in 2001), Earl Campbell (4 in 1974), Ricky Williams (3 in 1995), Vince Young (3 in 2003), Jamaal Charles (3 in 2005) and Malcolm Brown (3 in 2011) are the only other Longhorns to do so as freshmen ... joins Benson (twice in 2001) and Adrian Walker (twice in 1989) as the only Texas freshmen to rush for more than 150 yards multiple times in a season ... tallied five explosive plays, logging runs of 27, 50, 66 and 21 yards, and caught a 23-yard touchdown pass ... his 66-yard run was the second-longest by a Longhorn in a bowl game, while his 50-yarder is tied for fifth ... the fourth Longhorn to record a rushing and receiving touchdown in a bowl game since 2000 ... tied the school record for touchdown receptions in a bowl game ... rushed for at least 50 yards in all six starts, and crossed the century mark in three of his last four outings ... rushed for 522 of his 703 yards over the final four games of the season, including 355 across the final two outings against K-State and Colorado ... scored six touchdowns (4 rush/2 rec) in those two games ... averaged 18.7 yards per rush over his final two games of the season (355 yards, 19 carries) ... totaled 223 yards from scrimmage (172 rush/51 rec) on 12 touches (9 carries/3 rec) at Kansas State, and then 220 yards from scrimmage (183 rush/37 rec) on 12 touches (10 carries/2 rec) in the Alamo Bowl versus Colorado, making him the only FBS running back over the last 25 years to have two games with 200-plus yards from scrimmage on 12 or fewer touches in his entire career, let alone in consecutive games, according to Stats Perform ... the only FBS player to rush for at least 170 yards on 10 or fewer carries multiple times in a season over the last 20 years ... totaled 915 all-purpose yards (703 rush/196 rec/16 KR) on 102 touches (86 rush/15 rec/1 KR) as a freshman, averaging 8.97 yards per touch ... the first UT freshman to lead the Longhorns in all-purpose yards in a season since Cedric Benson in 2001.

High School: All-American Bowl ... became the first player in Arizona high school football history to twice win the Ed Doherty Award as the state’s top high school football player by the Grand Canyon State Gridiron Club ... became Arizona’s career all-time touchdown leader with 114 and its leading rusher with 7,036 yards ... also became the first running back in Arizona history to top 2,000 yards in three consecutive seasons ... ranked No. 14 nationally, No. 1 at all-purpose back and No. 2 overall in Arizona by Rivals ... rated No. 22 on the ESPN300, No. 4 at running back and No. 2 overall in Arizona by ESPN ... No. 23 nationally, No. 2 at running back, and No. 2 overall in Arizona according to 247Sports ... rated No. 23 on USA Today’s Chosen 25 ... named Arizona Gatorade Player of the Year in 2019 ... received the Arizona National Football Foundation Frank Kush Player of the Year honor ... named 4A Kino Region Player of the Year and Offensive Player of the Year in 2019 ... rushed for 2,235 yards and 38 touchdowns on 126 carries (17.7 ypc/203.2 ypg), while also catching 12 passes for 314 yards and three touchdowns as a senior ... also returned four kickoffs for 238 yards, including a 94-yard touchdown ... posted seven games with at least four rushing touchdowns ... part of an offense that averaged 52.0 points per game ... recorded 430 rushing yards and six touchdowns on just 13 carries (33.1 ypc) against Desert Edge ... rushed for 282 yards and four touchdowns, including a 92-yarder, on eight carries (35.3 ypc) against Tucson High Magnet ... carried the ball 16 times for 347 yards (21.7 ypc) and six touchdowns against Casa Grande ... registered 263 rushing yards and four touchdowns on 12 carries (21.9 ypc) against Canyon del Oro ... helped Salpointe to a 10-1 overall record, including a 5-0 region mark and title, and an appearance in the AIA Open Division state semifinals in 2019 ... named 2019 first-team Preseason Arizona All-State by MaxPreps ... chosen 4A Conference Offensive Player of the Year in 2018 ... selected 4A Kino Region Offensive Player of the Year and first-team all-region ... posted 2,400 rushing yards and 35 touchdowns on 170 carries (14.1 ypc), along with 10 catches for 153 yards and one touchdown as a junior ... part of an offense that averaged 43.9 points per game ... opened the season 301 rushing yards and four touchdowns on 12 carries (25.1 ypc) against Dobson ... rushed for 276 yards and five touchdowns on 23 carries (12.0 ypc) against Del Valle ... registered 250 rushing yards and four touchdowns on nine carries (27.8 ypc) against Casa Grande ... gathered 247 rushing yards and three touchdowns on just four carries (61.8 ypc against Vista Grande ... posted 259 rushing yards and four touchdowns on nine carries (28.8 ypc) against Mingus ... helped Salpointe to a 13-1 overall record, including a 5-0 region mark and title, and an appearance in the AIA 4A state title game in 2018 ... tabbed first-team 4A all-conference in 2017 ... named 4A Kino Region Offensive Player of the Year and first-team all-region ... rushed for 2,023 yards and 26 touchdowns on 189 carries (10.7 ypc), while catching eight passes for 136 yards and three touchdowns as a sophomore ... scored multiple touchdowns in nine games ... opened the season with 207 rushing yards and four touchdowns on 14 carries (14.8 ypc), along with a punt return touchdown against St. Mary’s ... gained 229 rushing yards and two touchdowns on 19 carries (12.1 ypc) against Tuscon Magnet ... registered 303 rushing yards and two touchdowns on 27 carries (11.2 ypg) against Sunrise Mountain ... helped Salpointe to a 12-2 overall record, including a 4-0 region mark and title, and an appearance in the AIA 4A state title game in 2017 ... rushed for 378 yards and four touchdowns on 42 carries (9.0 ypc), while catching 12 passes for 233 yards and two touchdowns as a freshman ... helped Salpointe to a 10-3 overall record, including a 4-0 region mark and title, and an appearance in the AIA 4A state semifinals in 2016.

 

PERSONAL

Comes from an athletic family. His grandfather Cleo was an all-state linebacker and track standout as a high schooler in Arizona and went on to star in track & field at Northern Arizona. He’s a longtime basketball and football official who spent 26 years as an on-field/court official at the high school and collegiate level, working in the Pac-10 and Big Sky Conference, before moving into a role as a Pac-12 instant replay official. His great uncle, Cleo’s brother Paul, lettered one year at Arizona before starring as a running back in the NFL. A third-round pick of the Cincinnati Bengals in 1968, he rushed for 1,023 yards as a rookie and was a two-time Pro Bowl selection in his six-year NFL career (Bengals, 1968-72; Houston Oilers, 1972-73).

 

2022

rushing
YPC	TD	YDS	CAR	LONG
6.1	18.0	1578.0	258.0	78.0

receiving
REC	YPR	TD	LONG	YDS
19.0	16.5	2.0	42.0	314.0

fumbles
REC	LOST	FUM
0.0	1.0	2.0

defensive
TFL	QB HUR	TOT	TD	PD	SACKS	SOLO
0.0	0.0	3.0	0.0	0.0	0.0	3.0

2021

rushing
YPC	TD	YDS	CAR	LONG
5.8	11.0	1127.0	195.0	62.0

receiving
REC	YPR	TD	LONG	YDS
26.0	11.3	4.0	38.0	295.0

fumbles
REC	LOST	FUM
0.0	2.0	2.0

defensive
TFL	QB HUR	TOT	TD	PD	SACKS	SOLO
0.0	0.0	1.0	0.0	0.0	0.0	1.0

2020

rushing
YPC	TD	YDS	CAR	LONG
8.2	4.0	703.0	86.0	75.0

receiving
REC	YPR	TD	LONG	YDS
15.0	13.1	2.0	35.0	196.0

fumbles
REC	LOST	FUM
0.0	0.0	1.0

kickReturns
LONG	YDS	NO	TD	AVG
16.0	16.0	1.0	0.0	16.0