Atlanta Falcons running back Bijan Robinson has high hopes for his alma mater this year —but warned against hyping up Texas quarterback Arch Manning before the season even starts.
In an exclusive interview with Us Weekly, Robinson, 23, said it’s “a little early” to start talking about Heisman Trophy expectations for the highly-touted Manning.
“We gotta see what he does on the field,” Robinson said, while speaking to Us about his partnership with College Colors Day on Friday, August 29. “I think he’s gonna do very well. I think he has a lot of experience learning from the quarterback ahead of him with Quinn [Ewers] and with [Texas head coach] Steve [Sarkisian] just being there by his side and teaching him so many different things.”
Robinson continued, “I feel like if he takes care of things week-to-week, eliminates the outside noise and stays focused throughout the season, the sky’s the limit. Everything can come to him. He can win the awards. He can do all that. And the biggest thing is winning a national championship.”
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Texas enters the college football season ranked No. 1 in the Associated Press preseason poll for the first time in school history. The Longhorns haven’t won a national championship since 2005.
Given the target on their backs, Robinson said Texas has to be “at their best every single week.”
“Everybody’s gonna be bringing their best shot against us,” he argued. “[Manning] has to realize that, as well. When that’s taken care of, everything else takes care of itself.”
Manning, the nephew of Peyton and Eli Manning, and Texas travel to Columbus to open the season against No. 3 Ohio State, the defending national champions, on Saturday, August 30.
Robinson forecasted a 24-18 win for his alma mater against the Buckeyes on Saturday.
The Falcons star spent three seasons at the University of Texas from 2020 to 2022, winning the Doak Walker Award for the best running back in college football in his final season.
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Since being selected by Atlanta with the 8th overall pick in the 2023 NFL Draft, Robinson still rocks Texas’ burnt orange any chance he gets.
“With Texas, you don’t gotta worry about us bringing the energy,” Robinson said. “We do it every single Saturday. We’re just ready for anything, whatever anybody throws at us.”
He added, “This week is a really big week for us. I’m excited to see what happens and how we handle everything.”
For more information on College Colors Day, this year’s “Flip the Switch” theme and how you can help win your school $1,000,000, click here.
