Bijan Robinson

Bijan Robinson (born January 30, 2002) is an American football running back for the Atlanta Falcons of the National Football League (NFL). He played college football at Texas, where he won the Doak Walker Award and was a unanimous All-American in 2022 before being selected by the Falcons eighth overall in the 2023 NFL draft.

Early life
Robinson was born on January 30, 2002, in Tucson, Arizona. He attended Salpointe Catholic High School, setting a state record after rushing for 7,036 yards and 114 touchdowns. As a senior, he was the Arizona Gatorade Football Player of the Year after rushing for 2,235 yards and 38 touchdowns on 126 carries. He was selected to play in the 2020 All-American Bowl. A five-star recruit, Robinson committed to play college football at the University of Texas at Austin.

College career
Robinson earned immediate playing time as a freshman at Texas in 2020. He earned the 2020 Alamo Bowl MVP with 10 rushes for 183 yards and a touchdown against Colorado. He finished with 2020 season with 86 carries for 703 rushing yards and four rushing touchdowns to go with two receiving touchdowns.

On October 2, 2021, against TCU, Robinson had 35 carries for 216 yards and two touchdowns in the victory. In the 2021 season, Robinson rushed for 1,127 yards and was named a member of the All Big-12 Conference first team.

On November 19, 2022 against Kansas, Robinson had 25 carries for 243 rushing yards and four touchdowns in the win. In the 2022 season, he had 1,580 rushing yards and 18 touchdowns was named a unanimous All-American and won the Doak Walker Award for the nation's best running back. He led the Big 12 in rushing yards and rushing touchdowns. He finished in ninth place in Heisman Trophy voting.

Professional career
Robinson was selected by the Atlanta Falcons with the eighth overall pick in the 2023 NFL draft. On May 12, 2023, Robinson signed his four-year rookie contract worth $21.96 million fully guaranteed.

Robinson made his NFL debut in Week 1 against the Carolina Panthers. In the game, Robinson rushed for 56 yards and had six receptions for 27 yards and his first career receiving touchdown in the 24–10 win. In Week 2 against the Green Bay Packers, Robinson ran for 129 yards and had four receptions for 48 yards in the 25–24 comeback win. In the regular season finale against the Saints, he had seven receptions for 103 yards and a receiving touchdown in the 48–17 loss. He started in 16 games as a rookie. He finished with 214 carries for 976 rushing yards and four rushing touchdowns to go with 58 receptions for 487 receiving yards and four receiving touchdowns. He was named to the PFWA All-Rookie Team.

Personal life
Robinson was named by his mother after the Iranian fashion designer Bijan, the Persian word for hero. His great uncle is Paul Robinson, a former running back who played for the Cincinnati Bengals, Houston Oilers, and Birmingham Americans. In 2022, Robinson began promoting his gourmet, Texas-based dijon mustard brand, Bijan Mustardson, along with a comedically themed line of accompanying merchandise and advertisements.