Fansided

College football rankings: Top 10 running backs of 2021

By Cody Williams

AMES, IA - SEPTEMBER 12: Running back Breece Hall #28 of the Iowa State Cyclones scores a touchdown in the first half half of the play at Jack Trice Stadium on September 12, 2020 in Ames, Iowa. The Louisiana-Lafayette Ragin"u2019 Cajuns won 31-14 over the Iowa State Cyclones. (Photo by David K Purdy/Getty Images)
AMES, IA - SEPTEMBER 12: Running back Breece Hall #28 of the Iowa State Cyclones scores a touchdown in the first half half of the play at Jack Trice Stadium on September 12, 2020 in Ames, Iowa. The Louisiana-Lafayette Ragin"u2019 Cajuns won 31-14 over the Iowa State Cyclones. (Photo by David K Purdy/Getty Images) /
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Bijan Robinson, Texas Longhorns
Bijan Robinson, Texas Longhorns. (Mandatory Credit: Kirby Lee-USA TODAY Sports) /

2. Bijan Robinson, Texas

Arriving in Austin with a ton of fanfare as a 5-star recruit, Longhorns fans were waiting for running back Bijan Robinson to be fully unleashed during his freshman season with the program. Tom Herman, however, largely kept him caged up for most of the season. And that’s unfortunate given the elite ability that he flashed when he was given the chance.

Robinson appeared in nine games for Texas last season and was extremely productive on limited touches. Not only did he rush for 703 yards and four touchdowns on just 86 carries (8.2 yards per carry) but he also hauled in 15 receptions for 196 yards and two more scores. For those keeping track at home, that’s 899 yards and six scores on only 101 touches as a true freshman.

Now that Herman is gone and Steve Sarkisian is in, we should see a much heavier dose of Robinson in the offense given what the new head coach did while running the offense at Alabama. That’s especially true when you consider the Longhorns will be breaking in a new quarterback and Robinson is the clear-cut backfield leader as a sophomore.

In the simplest terms, this is an elite talent at running back who simply didn’t get the touches he deserved right out of the gate. Now that his circumstances have changed, everything we’ve seen thus far suggests that Robinson is set for superstardom.