Bijan Robinson, Roschon Johnson Named To Doak Walker Award Watch List
Bijan Robinson and Roschon Johnson are two of the top running backs in college football. They both happen to play in the same backfield for the Texas Longhorns. Their achievements as Longhorns have them on the Doak Walker Award Watch List.
The Doak Walker Award is given to the nation’s top running back at the conclusion of each season. Ricky Willams, Cedric Benson, and D’Onta Foreman are the three Texas running backs who have won the award since its inauguration in 1990.
It is rare for two running backs on the same team to be named to the watch list. Robinson is the bell cow running back for the Longhorns, but Johnson has proven he is capable of starting on almost any other team.
In two seasons at Texas, Robinson has rushed for 1,830 yards and 15 touchdowns. Robinson has the fourth-best odds to win the Heisman Trophy in 2022 and the best odds among all running backs at +2000, via DraftKings. If Robinson can stay healthy, he will have a great chance to win the Doak Walker Award and hear his name called on the first night of the 2023 NFL Draft.
In three seasons at Texas, Johnson has rushed for 1,636 yards and 18 touchdowns. Johnson does not just take carries away from Robinson. He is effective in ways that Robinson is not. Coach Steve Sarkisian will often line up Johnson in the wildcat formation. Johnson was a quarterback in high school, so receiving direct snaps is familiar to him. The wildcard formation was used frequently during the Texas win over Kansas State in 2021, which saw Johnson rush for 179 yards and a touchdown.
Robinson and Johnson are a part of the best running back room in the nation, according to Athlon Sports. Running backs Keilan Robinson, Jonathon Brooks, and Jaydon Blue round out the star-studded group.
Robinson and Johnson will begin what is likely to be their final season at Texas on Sept. 3rd against UL-Monroe.
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