Texas Football: Bijan Robinson is eager to get even more involved in the passing game

Last year, Bijan Robinson caught 26 passes for Texas. That was an increase from 2020 when he had 16 receptions.

But could the Longhorns star get even more involved with the passing game? He sounds like he’d be up for it.

Robinson proved to be effective in both facets of the offense last season, totaling 1,127 rushing yards and 295 receiving yards to go with 15 total touchdowns. But with Quinn Ewers now in the fold to presumably start at quarterback, his role could get even better in 2022.

If he gets a chance and it makes the Longhorns better, Robinson said he’s all for it.

“If I have the opportunity to get in space against a linebacker or a safety or even a corner and it’s a great matchup, I would like to get the ball in my hands, make a mismatch,” Robinson said. “I feel when I get the ball in my hands against those kind of guys in space, that’s when the long plays happen, the touchdowns. So I think whatever opportunity I can have to make the team better, I’ll do it.”

Why improvement should be expected for Texas in Year 2 under Steve Sarkisian

Year 2 at Texas is a big one for Steve Sarkisian. With plenty of new faces — from high-profile transfer portal additions to highly touted recruits — the expectation is the Longhorns will make a leap from last year’s 5-7 campaign.

On3’s J.D. PicKell thinks Texas fans have to absolutely expect improvement, considering talented playmakers such as Bijan Robinson are also back in the fold.

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“First and foremost, you can expect some sort of improvement,” PicKell said on The Hard Count. “And I know you’re probably saying, ‘Well, if we didn’t see improvement, we would have problems anyway, J.D.’ I understand. I’m with you. I’m right there with you. if they don’t improve, they got really big problems. But a couple of reasons for optimism is the shear fact that they have more talent on this team.

“More talent at quarterback — on paper — they have Bijan Robinson coming back, they went into the portal and cherry-picked a few guys that are going to be ballers for them, especially on the outside. The defense should be another year better. There’s a lot of reasons just by experience and talent alone why there’s reason for … expectations for improvement.”