Steve Sarkisian was hired by the Texas Longhorns when running back Bijan Robinson was a sophomore in Austin. Over the next two seasons, Texas undeniably trended up behind their new head coach, going 5-7 in year one, but 8-5 in 2022 before Robinson departed for the NFL Draft, where he was picked eighth overall by the Atlanta Falcons.
But despite being 13-12 over his two seasons playing under Sarkisian — and with the ineffable Matthew McConaughey still strolling the sidelines — Robinson still could see the upswing that was coming for the Longhorns. And now he and everyone else in college football are watching Texas reap the rewards of those efforts.
Bijan Robinson spoke with FanSided on behalf of SONIC and the new $7 Big Deal Meal.
Bijan Robinson saw Texas returning to the top of college football under Steve Sarkisian
"Shoot, as soon as I left, I felt it," Robinson said about the success that was to come for the Longhorns. "It was right there because we were just on that cusp of just breaking the dam, which was like really cool to see it happen as I left."
Texas made the College Football Playoff — then just a four-team affair — the year after Boinson's departure. Though they lost to Washington in the Super Bowl, they finished No. 3 in the final AP Top 25 college football rankings. They finished fourth the following year after again making the CFP, winning a First Round and Quarterfinal game before falling short against Ohio State in the Cotton Bowl for the Semifinal.
But Sarkisian and Texas haven't stopped there. While they took a slight dip amid navigating a brutal schedule in the 2025 season, they've now climbed to the No. 1 spot in the rankings after two weeks this season, getting one over on the Buckeyes in a dramatic comeback victory. We saw Arch Manning, Sarkisian and the entire program grow up in that moment, it felt like.
If you ask Robinson, though, it's always been the writing on the wall with Sarkisian at the helm of the program with the belief he has in his players and the ability to demand the best out of them both mentallly and physically.
"I feel like with me and Sark, we built such a relationship and we built such a trust in each other on the field," Robinson said. "He could just know he can rely on me with any scheme that he brought out. Like I was trying to make that scheme just come to life every, every chance that I got. Just having him trust me in that and growing — my mentality growing just in football and how much smarter I got learning from him and just his offense because you got to be smart to learn Sark’s offense, man. Like he throws a lot of different things at you. But obviously he's trying to make you be in the best position as possible. It was just really cool to see, as I left, hen it all just came together. And I mean it hasn’t slowed down since. So, you know, I really enjoy seeing us go try to get back up to the top and hopefully we can win it this year."
Texas certainly looks the caliber to win "it" this year. And we're seeing some of the things that Robinson mentioned in real time. Buying into Arch Manning as the Ohio State game went on proved to be a difference-maker. The same with trusting Will Muschamp's defense.
Talent has never been the issue in Austin. But the right blend of coaching to maximize that talent, at times, has proven costly. Robinson saw the vision of what Sarkisian could build, though, and now he's witnessing the fruits of those labors, even if he's in Atlanta nowadays.
Bijan Robinson joined FanSided representing SONIC and their new $7 Big Deal Meal. Football and food are one of the greatest pairings of all time, and this season SONIC® is celebrating the number seven in a way only SONIC can, bringing together a sweeter $7 Big Deal Meal and a new football-season campaign that celebrates the moments, traditions and communities that make football fandom special.
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