Texas Football: Finishing touch applied to RB room with Keilan Robinson

The quiet period both on the recruiting trail and in the NCAA Transfer Portal for new Texas football head coach Steve Sarkisian came to an end in the midst of the first week of visits on campus. Texas hosted their first set of official (and a few unofficial) visitors heading into last weekend. And that actually came for both the football and basketball programs.

It didn’t take too long for big news to come about for Sark and the Longhorns coming out of the first weekend of official visits since the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic in early 2020. Texas was able to get a commitment out of the transfer portal from the former blue-chip recruit and Alabama Crimson Tide sophomore running back Keilan Robinson.

This is really massive news for Sark, running backs coach Stan Drayton, and the Longhorns to nab as big of a talent out of the transfer portal as Robinson. Sark gets a former player in his offensive system from his time as the Alabama offensive coordinator.

Robinson announced his commitment to the Longhorns out of the portal on his Twitter timeline on June 6. Texas looked to already be in contact with Robinson too before he announced his commitment to the team over the weekend.

This is also the second addition out of the portal this offseason for Sark and the Longhorns from the Crimson Tide. The other came in the form of the former elite five-star recruit and senior linebacker Ben Davis.

Texas football gets an even stronger RB room with the addition of Keilan Robinson

Texas already had a strong running back room heading into summer workouts, but things got even better with the announcement of Robinson’s transfer destination on the evening of June 6. Robinson joins a deep group of running backs that also includes sophomore star Bijan Robinson, junior Roschon Johnson, incoming freshman Jonathon Brooks, senior Daniel Young, and senior Gabriel Watson, among others.

This running back room is still Bijan’s for the taking, but Keilan could help Sark form a key trio out of the backfield. The two Robinsons and Johnson could be one of the most potent running back trios in the entire country this fall.

What Keilan brings with him is a promising bit of work from his true freshman campaign. He registered 254 rushing yards on 39 carries back during the 2019 season (6.5 yards per carry), good for two rushing touchdowns. His two most effective games for the Crimson Tide came in wins over New Mexico State and Western Carolina in 2019.

Keilan opted out of the 2020 season, which would’ve been his sophomore campaign, in the midst of the COVID-19 pandemic. He looks to come in well-rested and ready to make an immediate impact this fall.

Texas is now up over five transfer portal additions this offseason so that Sark and this new-look coaching staff. Robinson is the most recent, but it might not be too long before the next arrives as visits continue this week on the Forty Acres.

Texas finished up last season with a record of 7-3 (5-3 Big 12) under the direction of the former head coach Tom Herman. New Texas head coach Sark and his squad are set to open up the 2021 regular season at home on Sep. 4 against Louisiana.