Lincoln Riley believes Duce Robinson will choose baseball if drafted high enough this summer

Lincoln Riley ended USC‘s 2023 recruiting class with a monster commitment, landing five-star tight end Duce Robinson. One of the best players in the country, Robinson actually factors into more than just one sport. He is also considered an elite baseball prospect and will have the chance of being drafted into the MLB this summer.

When Riley was recruiting Robinson, the thought of him playing baseball was always known as a possibility. In fact, if a team does select Robinson high enough in this year’s MLB Draft, Riley does expect him to sign the professional contract. Robinson can still play football at USC but there will be some new challenges to tackle.

“I certainly don’t pretend the be a baseball expert but I think it’s a good chance Duce is going to get drafted and very potentially that he gets drafted high,” Riley said.

“If that’s what happens, I think his intention is to sign a professional contract and then play college football. Which, he can do now. If that does not happen, then I think all options are on the table in terms of potentially playing both here at SC. We’ll see how it evolves.”

Robinson has not publicly stated he prefers playing one or the other. Both avenues are going to be open for him in the near future. Riley feels comfortable with where they stand as the draft looms this summer.

“Duce has big goals in both sports,” Riley said. “I think there was some comfort factor there because it matched some of the other guys we have been able to coach. So, we were able to have very real conversations about that.”

Lincoln Riley outlines difficulties of Duce Robinson playing football and baseball

Riley does have experience with dual athletes, especially at a high level. Kyler Murray played both at Oklahoma and at an exceptional level. Being selected ninth overall by the Oakland A’s, Murray also went on to win the Heisman Trophy. While he’s a starting quarterback in the NFL, he could easily have started Opening Day in center field on Thursday.

With Robinson being his second go-round in the process, Riley is better prepared. He knows exactly what it takes to be successful in both but at the same time, how difficult it can be. Constantly communication between the player and baseball program is crucial.

“There’s a whole lot to it,” Riley said. “You try to find where that line is. You’re trying to train for two different sports but you also have to recover. You also have to put in the mental training. Oh by the way, they’re going to school. You’ve got communication between two sets of strength coaches, two sets of academic coordinators, two head coaches, two different position coaches.

“There’s just a lot going back and forth. It’s going to take more than the average athlete but you got to be careful because you can go overboard. He can go overboard and sometimes, you got to protect that.”

However, while Riley might be better prepared for Robinson’s situation, the goal is the same. When Robinson steps away from USC, he should have the opportunity to choose between baseball and football since both were played at a high level.

“I think the ultimate goal for this, like it was for Kyler, is that at the end of his career at USC, that he’s in a position where he can pick,” Riley said. “That was a pretty fun spot to get to with the other guy. It’s hard to do but Duce has the ability to do it.”

Robinson played high school football at Phoenix (AZ) Pinnacle, where he was a five-star prospect. He was the No. 23 overall recruit in the 2023 cycle, according to the On3 Industry Rankings, a weighted average that utilizes all four major recruiting media companies.