Duce Robinson: USC's receiver room is 'absolutely loaded'

Duce Robinson is excited to be part of a USC receiver room that is stocked with talent entering the 2024 season. The 6-foot-6 former No. 1 tight end in the country is coming off of a true freshman season in which the team’s third-leading receiver.

With the graduation of leading receiver Tahj Washington as well as Brenden Rice, there is room for Robinson and others to step into bigger roles. Even with the Trojans missing their top two receivers from a year ago, Robinson still described the group as “loaded” after a recent practice.

“Obviously, our receiver room is absolutely loaded,” he said. “I think we’ve got an immense amount of talent in there. Coach Riley obviously is one of the best offensive minds in college football. So he’s gonna find ways to be able to use all of us to our strengths. He’s gonna come up with creative ways to get all of us the ball in the ways that play to our strengths. So I’m super excited to see what we can end up doing together. I think we have a great group who can do some really special things.”

Robinson turned just 16 catches into 351 yards and two touchdowns this past season for an average of 21.9 yards per catch. However, he isn’t the only former five-star prospect returning for a sophomore season at USC.

The Trojans also bring back Zachariah Branch, who showed off his speed to return both a kick and a punt for a touchdown in 2023. He was also a featured receiver with 31 catches for 320 yards and two touchdowns.

Both players will look to take a step forward, and fellow sophomore Ja’Kobi Lane will compete with a couple of talented transfers for time. Former UCLA wideout Kyle Ford and San Jose State star Charles Ross, who had five catches for 62 yards against the Trojans in last year’s season opener, will battle him for reps.

USC has been a top five passing offense the past two seasons but will have a new quarterback this season with Caleb Williams gone to the NFL. Miller Moss is the frontrunner to replace him but is currently in a battle with UNLV transfer Jayden Maiava.

Regardless of who starts, the Trojans will have no shortage of weapons in the passing game with Duce Robinson and others. They are set to kick off the season on Sept. 1 with a tough test against LSU.