Jordan HammSAN ANTONIO –
For years, Bijan Robinson’s and Lathan Ransom’s names have been intertwined. Bringing up the Salpointe Catholic football program meant stories of the improbable runs from Robinson and punishing hits from Ransom were soon too follow.
Together, they helped bring Salpointe Catholic – and Southern Arizona football as a whole – attention it had never received before. Now with Ransom preparing for college life at Ohio State and Robinson focused on bringing the University of Texas “back” to prominence, these teammates and best friends get to share the field as teammates one more time in the All-American Bowl.
“To represent my city, Tucson, means everything to me. There are a lot of kids looking up to me and Bijan,” Ransom said. “Just showing there’s a lot of great talent in Tucson. (I’m excited) to compete against the best and try to get everywhere possible.”
Salpointe Catholic head coach Dennis Bene helped mold these two from underclassmen with potential to two of the most sought-after football recruits in the country, and he made sure to make the trip to San Antonio to watch his two All-Americans.
“They’ve been the face of our program for several years and it’s just the accumulation of all their hard work and commitment,” Bene said. “For them to get to play with the best kids in the country is really special.”
Now that both players have signed their letters of intent on December 18th, they can put their recruitments in the rearview mirror. Despite both players verbally committing to their respective schools over the summer, recruitment fatigue set in for both as coaches from other programs tried to flip the these two.
“A lot of pressure was left off me,” Ransom said. “It was a busy week and a lot of people were bugging me to see what I was going to do, but when I finally (signed), it felt good and me and my family are happy where I’m at.”
But now that pen has met paper, both players can focus on preparing themselves to hit the ground running at the next level.
“I’m getting started with Texas and getting the plays down with them and the workout routine,” Robinson said. “They need me ready to go right away up there. It’s a great feeling to get ready.”
And while they hope to impact college football on the biggest stage, they will continue to make an impact in Tucson and Arizona as a whole.
“At the end of the day, they’re two wonderful people,” Bene said. “They’re great teammates, great student-athletes and really represented our school in the highest fashion.”
