FLOWERY BRANCH — Falcons running back Bijan Robinson, who played at Texas, recently helped his school beat out several other powerhouses for the top running back in the nation.

Derrek Cooper, of Chaminade-Madonna Prep in Hollywood, Florida, picked Texas over Florida State, Georgia, Miami, and Ohio State. He’s rated the No. 1 running back by ESPN and No. 2 in the “athlete” category in the 247Sports Composite.

“Trying to give tips to some of these recruits has been pretty cool,” Robinson said. “Like with the new running back there, I got on the phone with him … a couple of days before he committed. It was cool to tell him what to expect.”

Robinson didn’t sugarcoat things.

“Just be real with him,” Robinson said. “I think the fluff is … I can’t really give him that because I want to be honest with these guys and tell them how it is. I think that he really appreciated it. It was good to see him commit the other day.”

Grayson linebacker Tyler Atkinson, the nation’s No. 1 linebacker, also recently committed to Texas and coach Steve Sarkisian.

“It’s exciting to see where Sark is at,” Robinson said. “To see where he started and how me and him started. Now, where he is at now is super impressive.”

Robinson said he tries to go back to Austin, Texas, as much as he can.

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Falcons running back Bijan Robinson speaks to the media as players report to training camp on Wednesday, July 23, 2025, in Flowery Branch. (Miguel Martinez/ AJC)

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A trainee at the Norfolk Southern Training Center in McDonough on Friday, March 7, 2025. Norfolk Southern and its Midwestern and Western counterpart, Union Pacific, on Thursday confirmed they are in "advanced discussions" about a possible merger. (Arvin Temkar/AJC)

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