Before the 2023 football season began, it appeared that new BYU running back Aidan Robbins was going to put up huge numbers for the Cougars, just as he did at UNLV in 2022.
The Cougars had a big, veteran, experienced offensive line, bolstered by a couple of Power Five transfers in Oklahoma State’s Caleb Etienne and Utah’s Paul Maile, and a graduate transfer quarterback in Kedon Slovis who impressed everyone in spring and fall camp.
“It is just something that I have to talk with my coaches and my family about and pray about. I hope after those steps my next move will be obvious. I wish I could give you an answer today, but unfortunately I can’t.” — BYU running back Aidan Robbins
Obviously, the season has not gone as planned for the 6-foot-3, 240-pound Robbins, a rib injury suffered early in the year having wreaked havoc on his dream of another 1,000-yard rushing campaign.
Robbins has appeared in only six of BYU’s 10 games, and rushed for only 229 yards and one touchdown on 63 attempts. But the Louisville, Kentucky, native, refuses to have any regrets.
“We don’t have a makeup of guys who are going to walk in and hang their heads, man,” Robbins said Wednesday as the 5-5 Cougars continued preparations to host 8-2 and No. 14-ranked Oklahoma on Saturday (10 a.m., ESPN) at LaVell Edwards Stadium.
“We are a group of fighters. Win, lose or draw, we are going to come in here and attack the day, try to get better, clean up our mistakes, and get ready for the next opponent,” he said.
Robbins is one of 30 players who will be honored on Senior Day and make the walk, arm-in-arm, with his teammates from one end zone to the other following the game, a game in which BYU is a 24-point underdog.
However, that doesn’t necessarily mean the fourth-year player is moving on. Robbins has another season of eligibility remaining if he wants to take it, thanks to the COVID-19 year in 2020 not counting against eligibility. What is he going to do?
“I am going to (do the senior walk) on Saturday, but I haven’t decided yet,” Robbins told the Deseret News. “It is just something that I have to talk with my coaches and my family about and pray about. I hope after those steps my next move will be obvious. I wish I could give you an answer today, but unfortunately I can’t.”
Robbins said he will make the decision after the season; the Cougars travel to Oklahoma State, which is No. 23 in the College Football Playoff rankings, next week, and need one more win to get bowl eligible.
The odds of doing that are long, given how the team has played lately, suffering three straight blowout losses, but Robbins said nobody has lost hope.
“We stay even-keeled and we treat every team the same,” he said. “It is Oklahoma, and they got a name and everything. But I respect every team that I play. Whether it is FCS level, FBS, or whatever. I am excited to get out there and play Saturday.”
Having played at the Power Five level before when he was at Louisville, Robbins said BYU’s offensive struggles aren’t a matter of not having the horses to compete.
“We definitely have the talent,” he said. “We have more than enough to compete. It is just all about execution.”
Robbins graduated from Louisville with a degree in business marketing and has been pursuing his MBA at BYU from the Marriott School of Business. His other option would be to declare for the NFL draft and pursue that dream next spring.
He said his health won’t be a big factor in the decision, noting that he feels good now after sitting out with the rib injury.
“This is my first-ever bone injury. I am new to it. I am not sure what it is like going forward, but I feel fine right now,” he said. “I haven’t stopped doing my treatments. I have just been staying on top of everything.”
Among the others on the list of players to be honored who could still return if they desire, offensive lineman Caleb Etienne said Wednesday he feels like he is adjusting well to playing guard and plans to return.
Tight end Isaac Rex, offensive lineman Kingsley Suamataia, wide receiver Talmage Gunther and defensive back Caleb Christensen have said they are moving on, with Suamataia likely an NFL draft pick.
Offensive coordinator Aaron Roderick said Wednesday that he expects oft-injured receiver Keanu Hill to come back next year for a sixth season in Provo, but hasn’t had a formal conversation about that with the product of Bedford, Texas.
Another receiver, Darius Lassiter, is listed as a senior on BYU’s roster and will be honored Saturday. However, the transfer from Eastern Michigan who has missed the past few games due to injury technically has another year of eligibility remaining.
Robbins said decisions yet to be made by Lassiter and offensive linemen Connor Pay and Brayden Keim won’t really have much of a bearing on his choice.
