Bijan Robinson: Longhorns Star Almost an Ohio State RB?
It appears that former Texas Longhorns running backs coach, and current head coach at Temple, Stan Drayton, deserves a lifetime pass as a Longhorns hero.
According to an in-depth interview with Inside Texas ahead of the 2023 NFL Draft, Longhorns star running back Bijan Robinson almost went a different route with his college decision.
More specifically, he was almost an Ohio State Buckeye.
“I remembered the call that I get that Sunday,” Drayton told Inside Texas. “He goes, ‘Hey coach, I just want to tell you I appreciate everything you’ve done for me. I think you’re an awesome man, but I’m going to go ahead and commit to Ohio State.'"
That was, of course, until Drayton stepped in with a last-second phone call to Robinson - a call that convinced him to make his way to Austin, instead of Columbus.
“I text (Bijan), and he calls me back,” Drayton said in the interview. “I said ‘Man, how are you doing? I wasn’t expecting for you to call me.’ “He goes, ‘No, I saw your text. I just wanted to see how you were doing, coach.’ I said, ‘I’m doing good. I’ve got to admit, I really do believe I should be coaching you.’ He goes, ‘Coach, I really do, too. Hold on, let me call you back.’”
Shortly after that, Drayton got the good news, getting a call back from Robinson shortly after, with the future star and now likely first-round pick committing to the Longhorns on the spot.
"He calls me back, he says ‘Coach, I’ve been talking to my family. I think I made an emotional decision to go to Ohio State,'" Drayton said. "I think the real decision is to come and play for Texas and play for you.’”
And the rest was history, with Robinson quickly becoming one of the best in a long line of great running backs to come through Austin.
Last season alone, Robinson rushed 258 times for 1,580 yards and 18 touchdowns, while catching 19 passes for 314 yards and two more scores in 12 games.
In 2021, despite missing the final two games of the season with a dislocated elbow, Robinson was almost as good, carrying the ball 195 times for 1,127 yards and 11 touchdowns, with 26 catches for 295 yards and four touchdowns through the air.
In his career, Robinson averaged 6.3 yards per rush, finishing fourth on the Longhorns' all-time rushing list with 3,410 yards, despite playing in nine fewer games than Earl Campbell (4,443 yards) and 18 fewer games than Cedric Benson (5,540 yards) and Ricky Williams (6,279 Yards).
In other words, the next time a Longhorns fan sees Stan Drayton out to dinner, or in line at a grocery store, perhaps they should consider picking up the tab.
You can follow Matt Galatzan on Twitter @MattGalatzan
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