Bijan Robinson loved football growing up in Tucson, where his grandparents, Cleo and Geraldine, had a big role in raising him, along with his mother, LaMore.
They raised him to be respectful, to always smile and enjoy life. He enjoyed football so much that every Christmas he asked for a football. And when he opened the new toy, he would run around the house as if he were in an NFL stadium.
As he moved into his teens, there was no question he would make it. And he's making it big.
The No. 8 overall pick of the 2023 NFL Draft out of Texas by the Atlanta Falcons, he's been a fantasy football owner's favorite player. He leads the Falcons into State Farm Stadium in Glendale on Sunday to face the Cardinals at 2:05 p.m. on Fox.
Atlanta Falcons running back Bijan Robinson (7) rushes with the ball against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, Dec 11, 2025, in Tampa, Fla.
It was apparent his last three years of high school — two 4A football final losses to Scottsdale Saguaro his sophomore and junior seasons — and to the Open semifinals in a loss to Chandler in his last high school game in 2019, the first year of the AIA's eight-team Open.
His last Salpointe Catholic team went 10-1, losing only to eventual state champion Chandler, 24-16, a game in which Robinson had 22 touches — 18 carries for 119 yards and a TD, and four catches for 63 yards.
"In retrospect, I probably should have just given him the ball 35 times," then-Salpointe coach Dennis Bene said. "But, listen, Bijan's impact in Tucson around Salpointe was so great. He's arguably the greatest player ever at Salpointe.
"It's not so much the impact on the field, but his impact off the field. He was always a shining light. He conducted himself with great humility and integrity. It just doesn't get any better as the face of the program."
Bijan Robinson, right, and head coach Dennis Bene took Salpointe Catholic High School to the Open Division semifinals in 2019.
'Bijan be gone'
Robinson became the only two-time Ed Doherty Award winner in the history of that honor, which began in 1987. Following quarterback Brock Purdy's Doherty win in 2017, Robinson won it in 2018 and '19 when he couldn't be stopped.
The phrase every fall Friday night in Tucson was, "Bijan be gone." And into the end zone. Later, we would find out, his first name is pronounced "buh-JOHN."
"He brought the whole team together," said Eric Rogers, who was a top Salpointe assistant in Robinson's last three years at Salpointe. "When he walks in the room, when he walks into the huddle, it just resonates the whole room. He's got that persona. If he's got something to say, everybody's gonna listen."
During his junior season, Robinson ran for 2,400 yards and 35 TDs, averaging 14 yards a carry. He made it look easy. In two games, he had only nine carries and yet ran for more than 250 yards and four TDs. In his opener, he let the rest of Arizona know what was coming, running for 301 yards and four TDs on 12 carries in a 56-7 rout of Mesa Dobson.
As a senior, he ran for 2,235 yards and 38 TDs in 11 games, averaging 17.7 yards a carry. He had two games in the first half of the season in which he ran for six TDs. He had five games during which he ran for four scores.
Robinson had a formidable practice player.
Salpointe strong safety Lathan Ransom, who was a senior on that same team, became a standout on Ohio State's national championship team and a fourth-round pick by the Carolina Panthers in the 2025 NFL Draft.
Running back Bijan Robinson, right, smiles at teammate Lathan Ransom during Salpointe Catholic High School football's signing event in Tucson on Dec. 18, 2019. Ransom signed with the Ohio State Buckeyes. Robinson signed with the University of Texas Longhorns.
"With Lathan being on defense and Bijan on offense, it was like they both wanted to go against each other," Rogers said. "The two of them competed every day against each other in practice. And that's what made our whole team great."
Setting the standard
Robinson's brilliance is shining with the Falcons.
During his weekly meeting with the media this week, Cardinals defensive coordinator Nick Rallis was asked what makes Robinson special.
"Everything, man," he said. "Vision. Strength. Power. Acceleration. He can stop on a dime. You'd better be on point with angles that you're taking, because if you take a bad angle, he knows how to stick his foot in the ground and either make something out of nothing or turn it into a home run.
"That's him as a runner. And his ability to play as a receiver, split out, it's impressive. He's a complete player."
Atlanta Falcons running back Bijan Robinson (7) smiles after the win against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, Dec 11, 2025, in Tampa, Fla.
Chandler Wolves coach Rick Garretson knew that Robinson was that dude during warmups of the Open semifinal when Robinson's size stood out. He was already 6 feet, 215 pounds, with little body fat. He was sculpted like an NFL running back. His uncle, Paul Robinson, played with the Cincinnati Bengals, and he was the AFL Rookie of the Year in 1968.
Bijan Robinson learned football from his grandfather, Cleo, who was a longtime Pac-10/Pac-12 official who played linebacker himself.
When Bijan was in high school, he spoke highly of his family network and how they taught him right from wrong and let him carry out his football dreams.
He ended up being a consensus five-star recruit, making an early August decision to go to Texas before his senior year in Tucson.
"Bijan Robinson made everything look so easy on film," Garretson, the Chandler coach, said. "He was disciplined, explosive and had a skill set uncommon in high school football.
"Our defensive goal that night was to hold him to one explosive play, which we accomplished."
Maybe his most explosive play came over the middle, leaping to make a catch — one-handed — over defenders at midfield, as the Lancers tried to rally against the Wolves. Fans gasped watching that football play.
"Every time he touched the ball, you held your breath," Garretson said. "I waited after the game to speak with him. What an amazing kid.
"Bijan is one of a kind, and he set the standard for success in Arizona football."
