Bijan Robinson Advice to College Recruits: Look Beyond NIL Money

Before Atlanta Falcons running back Bijan Robinson was giving grown men reasons to make business decisions about their ACLs, he was a sophomore at Salpointe Catholic in Tucson, Arizona, about to discover just how good he could be.

It happened on the first play of the season.

Facing a Phoenix-area opponent that had beaten Salpointe the previous year, Robinson took a routine toss to the right. The defense overpursued, so he reversed field. Then he reversed direction again, leaving defenders scrambling as he raced 40 or 50 yards for a touchdown.

Plenty of running backs have drawn comparisons to Barry Sanders. On that play, Robinson began to show why his name belongs in the conversation.

"That's when so much confidence in myself got gained after that run," Robinson recalled during an interview with High School on SI. "I was like, all right, this is where it all begins right here."

He was right. But the lessons that carried Robinson from Tucson to Texas and eventually the NFL weren't all learned while he was carrying the rock.

Some came from knowing whom to trust.

Money and High School Recruiting

Robinson played high school football before name, image, and likeness (NIL) compensation became part of the recruiting conversation. Looking at today's landscape, he worries some young athletes are prioritizing the wrong things.

"I think money has been very much of a distraction for kids," Robinson said.

His concern isn't simply about athletes getting paid. It's about what they might overlook while chasing the largest offer: relationships with coaches, opportunities to develop, and whether a program is genuinely invested in their future.

"I think that if they spend more time on how much money they can make, more so than the relationship that they can build with a coach and the recruiting process," he said.

His own unlikely recruiting journey shapes his perspective.

Growing up in Tucson, Robinson assumed players needed to attend bigger high schools, perhaps in Phoenix, to attract major college programs. Then Arizona offered him a scholarship after his freshman season, when he'd played just five varsity games. More offers followed after recruiting camps.

Suddenly, the kid who thought he needed to go somewhere else to get noticed had college coaches coming to him.

The Coach Who Changed His Future

Through it all, now-retired Salpointe Catholic coach Dennis Bene was a constant presence.

"Not only was he just a father figure for me, but he was a guy that always just made sure that I was doing great things off the field and on the field," Robinson said.

When Robinson began weighing college options, Texas wasn't initially his top pick. Ohio State, USC, and Alabama were on his radar, but Bene encouraged him to visit Austin anyway.

It feels like someone in the Longhorns booster club owes Bene a gift card to Baskin Robbins, because during his recruiting visit Robinson connected with the Longhorns' coaches, particularly running backs coach Stan Drayton, whose faith and mentorship resonated with him.

Bene had taught Robinson to think beyond the next few football seasons.

"The decision I was making was not just gonna be for a three-year decision, but gonna be for a 40-year decision," Robinson recalled.

That's a considerably longer game than most recruiting rankings measure.

Learning to Shift, On and Off the Field

Now in Atlanta, Robinson is learning to lead teammates rather than simply outrun opponents.

The shift connects with his partnership with Invisalign and its "SHIFT Happens" campaign, which emphasizes recognizing change and making adjustments. Robinson said wearing clear aligners has helped reinforce daily discipline, while his evolving leadership role has required a different kind of confidence.

"Being my best self on and off the field so they can be their best self," Robinson said of his approach to teammates.

For Robinson, the most meaningful adjustments haven't always been the ones that made defenders miss. Sometimes, they've been the decisions that required listening to someone who could see a future he hadn't yet imagined.

And for a generation of recruits weighing their next move, that's advice worth smiling about.

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