Tag: Duce Robinson

USC is losing former five-star recruits at an alarming rate

We can’t ignore how many highly-touted recruits are leaving USC. It’s not the sign of a healthy program heading in the right direction.

They say that the key to building a successful program is signing lots of blue-chip recruits. That is true at USC football and other places, but it only works if the recruits actually stick around.

Perhaps no program is a bigger example of this right now than USC itself. In his first three recruiting cycles at USC, Lincoln Riley signed six players who were rated as a five-star by at least one of the four major recruiting services (247, On3, Rivals, and ESPN). Of those six, just one is still with the Trojans.

Last offseason, USC saw cornerback Domani Jackson, running back Raleek Brown, and quarterback Malachi Nelson transfer out. This year, the Trojans have lost wide receivers Zachariah Branch and Duce Robinson. (Several of them have also offered some snide comments following their departures.) Only wide receiver Makai Lemon remains with the team.

Now, each individual player had their own reasons for leaving. Some struggled to earn playing time, while others did not play well and left in search of a fresh start elsewhere.

Still, the fact that the Trojans have lost as many former highly-touted recruits as they have is an alarming sign. Clearly, Riley and his staff are struggling to develop and retain the talent that they are signing, which is a major problem.

It would be one thing if USC was continuing to win games despite the departures. But the Trojans are just 14-11 since the start of the 2023 season.

Riley and company will need to get these issues sorted out and start winning soon. Otherwise, they might not be around for much longer.

USC transfer wide receiver plans to visit Texas A&M

Including several other visits, USC transfer WR Duce Robinson plans to visit Texas A&M

Texas A&M needs to add talent and, most importantly, production at the wide receiver postion through the transfer portal this month, and while former Texas Tech WR Micah Hudson is predicted to land with the Aggies, nothing is set in stone until the pen hits paper.

Coach Mike Elko has been doing everything he can to gain commitments in the coming weeks, setting up visits with a long list of veteran receivers, including Purdue tight end Max Klare. However, another highly intriguing name could soon be headed to College Station.

According to 247Sports Florida State insider Zach Blostein, it was reported that former USC wide receiver Duce Robinson currently ranked the No. 2 player in the transfer, plans to visit Texas A&M portal rankings.

A former five-star prospect in the 2023 recruiting class, Robinson’s career with the Trojans ended with 741 receiving yards and seven touchdowns, including 396 yards and seven scores during his 2024 sophomore season.

Standing at 6-6 and 220 pounds, Robinson’s speed and catch radius make him an instant downfield threat and red zone nightmare.

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Duce Robinson goes to the transfer portal as USC football exodus continues

Duce Robinson is portaling. That’s not what USC fans wanted or needed to hear.

USC football is being dramatically remade heading into 2025. Whether you like it or not, the 2025 roster will look very different from the 2024 version. USC transfer portal departures are stacking up. Quinten Joyner left on Monday. On Tuesday, Duce Robinson decided to enter the portal.

Robinson had a slow start to the 2024 season, but he clearly got better as the campaign continued. Robinson looked good as a receiver with Jayden Maiava on the field at quarterback. Robinson made plays down the field and was beginning to emerge as a top-tier threat who, with Maiava, could make a lot of noise in 2025. Now USC won’t have that option in the passing game.

Joyner and Robinson leaving undeniably represents bad news for USC. However, in the world of the transfer portal, there is always the chance that the Trojans can upgrade, or at least to match these departures with equivalent replacements. It will require a lot of work. We will see what happens, but the uncertainty that comes with losing talented players is undeniably a burden for the USC fan base right now. Lincoln Riley has to earn a level of respect which he has lost these past two disastrous seasons. That’s for sure.

Eerie parallels between LSU’s new defensive coordinator and Alex Grinch

LSU is placing a lot of faith in its corners and safeties in ways which offer a parallel with Alex Grinch. This could get interesting.

USC plays LSU in Week 1, as you know. LSU Wire recently posed a concern about the Tigers’ young cornerbacks’ ability to hold up in man coverage in new defensive coordinator Blake Baker’s scheme. There’s a parallel with Alex Grinch involved. Here’s what LSU Wire had to say:

New defensive coordinator Blake Baker will play an aggressive style of defense. That could put stress on an inexperienced secondary, specifically LSU’s group of cornerbacks.

At Missouri, Baker had two of the best corners in the SEC with Kris Abrams-Draine and Ennis Rakestraw. Both playing at an elite level was a big reason why Missouri’s defense was among the best in the country.

Now at LSU, Baker has the talent, but it’s unproven. Ashton Stamps looks to be LSU’s top corner right now. As a true freshman last year, he played 51 snaps in man coverage, Stamps struggled, allowing a perfect NFL passer rating of 158.3, according to PFF.

LSU is boosted by the return of CB Zy Alexander, but his season was cut short by injury last year and the ramp up this summer has been slow. Ohio State transfer JK Johnson is set to see time too, but he’s also returning from injury after missing the entirety of 2023.

For LSU to take the needed step forward, at least one of these guys needs to emerge as an SEC-level player in man coverage.

This should make the hair on the back of Trojan fans’ necks stand up. One of the fatal flaws of Alex Grinch’s defense was the pressure it applied to the corners and safeties, often placing them on an island.  If the pass rush doesn’t get home, it puts a lot of pressure on the secondary.  In 2022 Mekhi Blackmon was a first-team All-Pac-12 cornerback, but without him in 2023, the USC defense was much more susceptible to chunk plays.

The Trojans’ strength on offense is at wide receiver, led by the talented second-year wide receivers Makai Lemon, Ja’Kobi Lane, Duce Robinson and Zachariah Branch. Lincoln Riley and his receivers might make the Tigers pay if they have unproven cornerbacks cover them in man defense on the outside.  Look for Riley and Miller Moss to try to capitalize on one on one matchups outside that favor the Trojans.

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Miller Moss talks about young USC receivers, who are ready to make their mark

Miller Moss has every reason to be excited about his wide receivers.

USC football has produced a lot of great receivers, year after year. The Trojans are one of the best college football programs in the United States in terms of developing elite receivers who make big money in the NFL. Michael Pittman, Amon-Ra St. Brown, Drake London, Jordan Addison, Nelson Agholor, Marqise Lee, and the list just keeps going on and on. Now Miller Moss — USC’s 2024 starting quarterback — has another promising group of receivers to throw to, the latest Trojans ready to become top-tier wide receivers who will eventually play on Sundays and become a force in the NFL.

From the 3:00-5:00 mark of this video, Miller Moss has a lot more to say about a USC receiver group which — it is important to note — spent a lot of time practicing with Moss last year as part of the “twos,” the backups on the roster. While the starters got game reps with Caleb Williams, the backups were able to spend a lot of time with Moss. Developing continuity last season, on the practice field and then in the Holiday Bowl, could really pay off for USC on the field this fall.

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Lincoln Riley challenges Zachariah Branch to be more than a special teams weapon

Lincoln Riley sent a clear message to Zachariah Branch.

On the USC football team, sophomore receiver Zachariah Branch stands out as a rare talent who captivates college football fans with every touch of the ball. Last year, Branch made history by becoming USC’s first true freshman to earn All-America honors, showcasing his exceptional abilities as both a punt and kick returner. He led all punt returners in the nation in 2023 with 20.8 yards per return.

During the recent Big Ten media days event, USC head coach Lincoln Riley reflected on Branch’s impressive freshman campaign, highlighting his potential for even greater achievements in the upcoming season.

“Zachariah Branch had really an exciting freshman year for us. He’s an explosive player. Even when you’re used to being on the college football field and really talented players are somewhat the norm, he’s a little bit different in the way he moves and also his strength. He had a great year for us last year, especially as a returner. [He] was one of the most dominant returners in the country, if not the most.”

Riley is now ready for Branch to step up as a sophomore and become the receiving threat he was at Bishop Gorman High School before joining the Trojans.

“Yeah, we’ve really challenged him this year to become a bigger part and a more consistent part of our offense. That is really going to be part of his evolution. He had some really good moments for us offensively last year, but he wasn’t as impactful as he was on special teams. And certainly, I think he’s growing as a receiver, as a ball carrier, understanding offenses, understanding route running, understanding defenses, how we’re trying to attack people. There’s just a maturity and a growth process that we’ve really pushed him on, and I think he’s handled it well.  We’ve got a really talented group of receivers there that got a chance to showcase their skills in the bowl game”

The talented, young wide receivers Riley referred to: Duce Robinson, Ja’Kobi Lane, and Makai Lemon, who joined USC’s 2023 recruiting class alongside Branch. Last season, Branch tallied 31 receptions for 320 yards and two touchdowns. Riley and Trojan fans are optimistic that wide receivers coach Dennis Simmons can facilitate a sophomore leap, a common phenomenon among elite talents. Branch adding wide receiver to his All-American pedigree would significantly aid first-year starting quarterback Miller Moss and the Trojan offense in their first year in the Big Ten.

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USC two-sport star Duce Robinson gets a double for his first collegiate hit

Duce naturally got a double as his first hit as a USC Trojan. Poetry.

Duce Robinson, at 6-5 and 225 pounds from Phoenix, is getting his first action on the USC baseball diamond. Trojan fans know Duce Robinson as the highly-touted freshman receiver on the football team, but he came to USC as a two-sport athlete, football and baseball.

Robinson had 16 catches for 335 yards and two touchdowns in the 2023 football season. Recruiting services had him as a top tight end coming out of high school, but Lincoln Riley made it clear that he will be a receiver for the Trojans.

Duce made it clear that he wanted to continue his baseball career at USC. There was a time last spring when it was uncertain if Robinson would play pro baseball instead of joining the Trojan football team.  He didn’t reach a high-enough draft status, however, to focus solely on baseball and cash in on the opportunity of pursuing an MLB dream just yet. He wanted to keep both fires burning in football and baseball. After completing his first USC football season, he has turned the page to baseball.

Robinson’s power, size and raw athleticism give him enormous potential. We will see how much Robinson can grow as he tries to reach the ceiling of the sum total of his abilities. We all got a first glimpse of that potential on Sunday in Arlington, Texas. Robinson got his first college baseball hit for USC against TCU.

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USC statistical leaders through six games

You probably can name one of these guys offhand.

USC nearly lost its perfect season against Arizona but survived. Notre Dame’s College Football Playoff chances ended with a loss at Louisville. Neither team is coming into their annual meeting with the best momentum. That means talent could be the game’s determining factor.

This is a perfect opportunity for the Trojans to make a statement. They’re catching the Irish when they’re fatigued and struggling. The only thing that could slow them down is the wet conditions forecast for the game, but they’re preparing for that by using water in rather interesting ways in practice. While there’s no way to tell if that will affect anything, it shows they’re not leaving anything up to chance.

As you’re about to see, there are several players responsible for the Trojans’ offense being the country’s highest scoring, not the least of whom is the reigning Heisman Trophy winner at quarterback. Here he is among the top Trojans players on both sides of the ball:

In 2023 USC offense, positional labels matter less than deployment and production

Duce Robinson was recruited as a tight end, but he won’t be used as a traditional tight end. What matters: stretching the field.

If you have noticed, multiple USC offensive players originally recruited to play a specific position have been reassigned to other positions. Raleek Brown was originally recruited as a running back. Duce Robinson was originally recruited as a tight end.

Neither will play at their original position this season, or at least, not at the start of the 2023 campaign. Both men have been moved to receiver positions. Brown will leave a loaded running back room so that Lincoln Riley can use him in open space. Robinson won’t be a tight end so that — presumably, at least — he can play a more defined role as a field-stretching pass catcher. He might be for USC what Kyle Pitts became for Florida a few seasons ago.

Miles Dwyer of Ducks Wire wrote about Duce Robinson:

“As mentioned above, Duce Robinson is the consensus pick for the No. 1 TE in the class of 2023. It is impossible to predict whether recruits will turn out or not, but Robinson has all the right tools to make a quick impact on the already-phenomenal USC offense. In 2022, USC didn’t use TEs in their passing game very often, which may change in 2023 after the addition of two top-tier TE recruits.”

Tight end usage becomes a hollow subject. It’s less important that Duce Robinson does or doesn’t play tight end. It’s more important that he serves a specific purpose within USC’s offense. That’s what matters.

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Raleek Brown, Duce Robinson listed as WRs on USC’s updated roster

A former running back and a former tight end are now listed as wide receivers. Lincoln Riley has ideas. #USC

The USC Trojans’ offensive roster has to be one of the most impressive in college football, especially with Caleb Williams returning at quarterback.

With Pac-12 media day behind us, we got an inside look at the new roster that was released on Friday night, and there were certainly some surprises.

One of the notable developments was Raleek Brown and Duce Robinson listed as wide receivers.

Raleek Brown emerged last season for the Trojans and entered the offseason as a polarizing weapon. However, with the addition of MarShawn Lloyd, the question remained exactly where Brown fits into the scheme. Yet, Brown was listed as a first-team preseason pick as a returner, which is a reflection of Brown’s immense potential.

Duce Robinson was the tight end who is also a baseball player, although he wasn’t selected in the 2023 MLB draft. 

Of course, a lot can change over the next month, but Brown and Robinson both being WRs isn’t what many were expecting.

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