RB Bijan Robinson picks Texas over Ohio State

In the last few weeks, Ohio State and Texas were locked in a recruiting battle for elite running back Bijan Robinson.

On Friday, the No. 31-ranked prospect in the class of 2020 announced his decision with the Longhorns winning out over the Buckeyes, USC, UCLA and Arizona.

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This moment is one I’ve dreamt of my entire life. We all dream of things, but God, thank you for helping me see this dream become a reality. The process of choosing only one school to spend the next chapter of this reality, wasn’t easy. The last few months was more than just choosing a school. To me, it was a crossroad that could change the direction of my life, and my future. It was a decision that I couldn’t make on my own, or even with my family, but one I had to exclusively make with the help of God. I am forever grateful for every coach and organization for hosting my family and I, the recruiting process was one that I will never forget. Thank you to every single individual who has helped me along this journey. My family, my coaches, and the good ol’ city of Tucson. I feel and experience your love and support every single day, and I do not take it for granted. I am excited to announce, that I will continue to grow as a man, student, and athlete, at The University of Texas at Austin. #HookEm Thank you to @pbjpeg for the edit much love to you S/o to my auntie @mis_risssssss for helping me with the letter

A post shared by Bijan Robinson (@bijan_robinson) on Aug 2, 2019 at 12:00pm PDT

The 5-foot-11, 195-pound star from the state of Arizona becomes the highest ranked running back to pick Texas since the Longhorns inked back-to-back five-star prospects Johnathan Gray and current Los Angeles Ram Malcolm Brown in the 2012 and 2011 classes.

The win for the Longhorns is paramount as there are only four scholarship running backs on the roster, with Kirk Johnson headed into his senior season. Class of 2019 ESPN 300 ATH Jordan Whittington moved from wide receiver to running back after enrolling in January, and has earned the praise of Tom Herman and staff, but only sophomore Keaontay Ingram and junior Danny Young have experience playing the position headed into the season.

With the nation’s No. 5 ranked running back in the fold, the Longhorns are a sound bet to sign a third straight top 10 class under Herman in December. Texas now has nine ESPN 300 commitments and 10 ESPN four-star’s in the class, headlined by ESPN 300 quarterback prospects Ja’Quinden Jackson and Hudson Card. The Longhorns also have six prospects ranked in the top 85 of the ESPN 300 with OG Jake Majors, DE Vernon Broughton and ATH Kitan Crawford joining Robinson, Jackson and Card ranked among the very best in the country.

The Longhorns remain in the hunt for No. 12 Kelee Ringo, No. 60 Quentin Johnston, No. 71 Chris Thompson Jr., No. 103 Ethan Pouncey, No. 115 Alfred Collins, No. 184 Javian Hester, No. 239 Princely Umanmielen and No. 267 Jerrin Thompson with No. 71 Thompson Jr. set to announce between Texas and Auburn Sunday.

Robinson’s pledge also continues the Longhorns success in the state of Arizona behind the efforts of offensive coordinator Tim Beck with class of 2019 ESPN 300 wide receiver Jake Smith and ESPN 300 tight end Brayden Liebrock already impressing in Austin since arriving in June.