Tag: Duce Robinson

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.

Visit our friends at Fighting Irish Wire, Buffaloes Wire, and Ducks Wire. Follow our newest sites, UW Huskies Wire and UCLA Wire.

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.

[lawrence-auto-related count=1 tag=696092269]

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.

[lawrence-auto-related count=1 tag=696092335]

USC’s Duce Robinson not picked in 2023 MLB draft

This news ensures that Robinson will play football and baseball in the 2023-2024 college sports cycle for #USC.

Let’s be clear about all of this: It would have been great if Duce Robinson got picked in the 2023 MLB draft, particularly in the top 150 to 200 players. Robinson would have received solid up-front money and would have had reason to embark on a lucrative professional career. That’s his dream as a high-level athlete. We should want the best outcomes for every athlete (just as we should want the best for every person).

Duce Robinson, a football-baseball dual-sport prospect, didn’t get the news he wanted. That is unfortunate. He wasn’t picked in the 2023 MLB draft.

Robinson’s next step: Prove a thing or two at USC. Not getting drafted means Robinson will be able to play football and baseball for the Trojans this next season. He can significantly raise his value as an athlete in two different sports. It will be exciting to see what he can do as a Trojan, starting on the gridiron and then continuing with Andy Stankiewicz’s baseball program in February of 2024.

[lawrence-auto-related count=1 tag=696092282]

USC’s Duce Robinson not taken in first 10 rounds of 2023 MLB draft

The first 10 rounds involved 314 #MLBDraft picks. Robinson, if picked later in the draft, would not command a large salary.

The wait for Duce Robinson continued into the midday hours of Tuesday at the 2023 MLB draft. Robinson, a USC commit who could play for the Trojans at tight end this coming season, had an eye on the draft and its outcome. Robinson watched on Monday as he was not picked in any of the first 10 rounds of the draft. Those 10 rounds encompassed 314 draft selections.

An early-round selection would translate to a higher salary slot value. Some examples: The No. 6 pick in the 2023 MLB draft translates to a $6.63 million slot value. The No. 75 pick in the draft has a slot value of $960,000. If Duce Robinson had been a top-100 pick, he would be getting north of $500,000 to play professional baseball, and he would face a real decision in terms of staying at USC or chasing a pro sports career.

Having not been picked in the top 300 (with more picks being made on Tuesday in the remaining rounds of the draft), Robinson won’t get a large slot value.

We have very likely witnessed a series of events which should solidify Robinson as a USC football and baseball player for the upcoming 2023-2024 college sports cycle.

[lawrence-auto-related count=1 tag=696092282]

Duce Robinson, considering pro baseball career, not listed in top 250 before 2023 MLB draft

A high draft selection might convince Duce Robinson to pursue an MLB career, so these rankings increase the chances he’ll play at #USC for a few years.

The USC Trojans football program (and baseball program) landed a massive get in tight end Duce Robinson. The incoming star is set to play both football and baseball, although he will likely emerge as one of Caleb Williams’ favorite targets.

However, his baseball profile isn’t as appealing, and a new series of prospect rankings was released with Robinson not listed in the top 250, per MLB Pipeline.

It’s rare that a player of Robinson’s caliber plays two sports, but that is the direction things are heading at USC. With these latest rankings being released, it likely increases his chances of playing baseball next season and extending his time in Southern California.

Nonetheless, it will be exciting and interesting to see if Duce Robinson can succeed at both sports. For the sake of Lincoln Riley, hopefully he can excel on the football field.

The 2023 MLB draft is Sunday, July 9 through Tuesday, July 11 in Seattle, on MLB Network.

[lawrence-auto-related count=1 tag=696092289]

Kliff Kingsbury’s work with Kyler Murray is a big reason Lincoln Riley hired him

There are so many angles to the Lincoln Riley-Kliff Kingsbury partnership at #USC. Kyler Murray figures prominently in it.

Former Arizona Cardinals head coach Kliff Kingsbury is expected to join Lincoln Riley at USC and work with the team’s quarterbacks.

Kliff Kingsbury, who was part of the organization that drafted former Heisman winner Kyler Murray at No. 1 overall, now will coach another potential No. 1 pick and Heisman Trophy Winner in Caleb Williams.

Both quarterbacks are Lincoln Riley quarterbacks, but in many ways the presence of Kyler Murray looms large in this story.

Kingsbury’s coaching career began at the University of Houston as an offensive quality control coach in 2008 under Kevin Sumlin. He coached four seasons there, rising to the level of offensive coordinator/quarterback coach in his final two seasons (2010-2011). He built a reputation as a quarterback guru during his time there.

He coached NFL quarterback Case Keenum at Houston, where he set what still stands as the NCAA’s all-time records for career passing yards (19,217) and passing touchdowns (155). Kingsbury then spent one season (2012) at Texas A&M in 2012 as the Aggies’ offensive coordinator and quarterbacks coach. His quarterback that season, Johnny Manziel, won the Heisman Trophy.

Kliff coached another first-round NFL draft pick (2018), Baker Mayfield, in his first season as Texas Tech’s head coach in 2013. He then coached two-time NFL MVP and Super Bowl champion Patrick Mahomes from 2014-2016 with the Red Raiders.

Kingsbury obviously knows how to coach quarterbacks, and that’s certainly a central reason why Lincoln Riley hired him. Among the quarterbacks Kingsbury has coached, however, Kyler Murray might stand out the most.

Let’s remember that new USC commit Duce Robinson — like Murray — is a football and baseball prospect. One can be sure that Robinson and Kingsbury are going to have some conversations about how to handle that tension point and its complications.

How Kingsbury coached Murray with the Cardinals will be a natural reference point for both Caleb Williams and Malachi Nelson as they try to soak up knowledge and develop as quarterbacks. How Kliff succeeded — and how he failed — will give Caleb and Malachi more information on how to progress as quarterbacks with designs on NFL success.

[mm-video type=video id=01gxrc7ggczryts11dgz playlist_id=none player_id=01f5k5y2jb3twsvdg4 image=https://images2.minutemediacdn.com/image/upload/video/thumbnail/mmplus/01gxrc7ggczryts11dgz/01gxrc7ggczryts11dgz-d6c407a99b8208fce9819a23613f4882.jpg]

[lawrence-auto-related count=1 tag=696091895]

USC baseball’s surprising success occurs alongside Duce Robinson’s arrival

Robinson, an elite baseball prospect, can see #USC baseball is improving. Did that help him pick the Trojans? It couldn’t have hurt!

It is far from certain that Duce Robinson, a strong prospect in both football and baseball, will play both sports for USC. As 247Sports experts noted — and as we shared with you on Saturday — Robinson could take off and play professional baseball without ever suiting up for USC.

Yet, playing both sports as a Trojan is one of a number of possibilities which could emerge for Robinson.

It is impossible to ignore, in the midst of this complicated situation, the improvement of USC baseball in a very short period of time under first-year head coach Andy Stankiewicz. The Trojans, picked to finish 10th in the Pac-12 in preseason polls, are first in the conference entering play on Sunday, April 2.

One can’t help but wonder: Did this surge help Duce Robinson choose USC? While one would not be inclined to say that it was number one on Robinson’s (and his family’s) list of reasons for choosing the Trojans, it probably didn’t hurt.

It might be more coincidence than causality, but if USC was 10th instead of first, would we be here today, discussing Duce Robinson’s future as a Trojan? It’s an interesting discussion point.

[mm-video type=video id=01gwzv5e23sxpzgw8epz playlist_id=none player_id=01f5k5y2jb3twsvdg4 image=https://images2.minutemediacdn.com/image/upload/video/thumbnail/mmplus/01gwzv5e23sxpzgw8epz/01gwzv5e23sxpzgw8epz-1fe7e246aa53d1a0b9d3fd34bf9bd119.jpg]

[lawrence-auto-related count=1 tag=696091895]

What analysts and experts are saying about Duce Robinson and USC

The experts at 247Sports offer a detailed, informative look at the various aspects of Duce Robinson’s situation.

There is so much to say about new USC commit Duce Robinson not only because he is a dynamic player, not only because he is a two-sport star, not only because he plays for Lincoln Riley with a Heisman-winning quarterback named Caleb Williams, but because he might not even play for USC.

Yes, it really is that complicated.

While it is undeniably great news that Robinson committed to USC over Kirby Smart and Georgia, we are not yet at a point where Robinson is absolutely guaranteed to play for the Trojans. No, you shouldn’t be freaking out, but you shouldn’t think it’s a done deal that Robinson will suit up for USC this fall. There are more plot points to deal with this summer, well before the scheduled season opener in late August against San Jose State.

Here’s what various 247Sports analysts are saying about Duce Robinson the athlete and Duce Robinson the football and baseball prospect, a man who has important decisions to make:

(h/t Blair Angulo of 247 Sports)