WR transfer Duce Robinson excited to create own legacy at Florida State

It’s obvious how much it means to Duce Robinson.

Not just to be a college football player. Not just to be a potential breakout star wide receiver at one of the blue blood programs in the United States.

To be here. In Tallahassee. Where his dad played two decades ago, for the school that he’s been cheering for since he was a little kid.

“One of my earliest memories was when we watched the national championship game [against Auburn],” Robinson said. “With Jameis [Winston] playing Coach [Gus] Malzahn, actually. And I just remember we were able to stay up late. It was a school night. And we were able to stay up late and watch the end of that game.

“And I just remember my Pops lifting me up over his head and putting me on his shoulder after we won. That’s like one of my fondest memories growing up.”

Now he’s a Florida State Seminole himself.

After a two-year run at Southern Cal, during which he caught 39 passes for 747 yards and seven touchdowns, Robinson is back at his father’s alma mater. He knows the name means something around these parts — Dominic Robinson had the original 4th-and-14 catch for Florida State back in 2003 — and that’s something he embraces.

At the same time, Duce Robinson wants to pave his own way at FSU.

“I think it’s super important for me to try to carve out my own legacy,” the rising junior receiver said. “I think it’s really cool to be Dominic Robinson’s son, but I’m also trying to be Duce Robinson. I think that’s really important, and I’m really excited for the opportunity to be able to do that this season and try to build my own name.”

He is certainly going to have his chance.

Robinson figures to be one of the prominent players on the Florida State offense this fall. With his size and athleticism at 6-foot-6 and 220 pounds, he should be a primary target for new quarterback Tommy Castellanos in 2025.

It’s that size, Robinson knowns, that gets him the most attention. But he doesn’t want to just be known as a big receiver. He wants to be known as a good one. Perhaps a great one here soon.

“I’ve always taken pride in being athletic in general,” Robinson said. “I don’t want to be a guy where people say, ‘Oh, he’s athletic for his size.’ No. I don’t want to be athletic for my size. I just want to be athletic in general, right? I want to push the narrative that big guys are able to move, too.

“I was labeled a tight end coming out of high school, but I want to be a receiver. Just because I’m big doesn’t necessarily mean I need to be a tight end. No disrespect to tight ends whatsoever, I absolutely love my tight ends … but, no, I take pride in my athleticism.”

As he enters his first year at Florida State, Robinson said his No. 1 goal during the offseason is to work even more on his technique. He believes he’s already pretty good at it, but he knows he can get better. He wants to be known as a technician, a polished route-runner and not just a 6-foot-6 guy out wide.

It’s clear Robinson wants to be great. Wants to win games. Wants to carry on his family legacy. And that includes his mom, too.

Mary Beth Robinson was a swimmer at the University of Florida. So, like Dominic, she knows what it’s like to compete at an elite level. And more importantly what it takes to get there.

Duce said his mother was also a big part of his athletic upbringing and understood why those one-hour workouts between father and son sometimes became three-hour workouts.

“I think a lot of my motivation comes from him and then having my mom every step of the way being supportive,” Robinson said. “She’s not only going to be OK with (long workouts), but she’s encouraging us to do that. I think having that support system, that foundation, really helped to elevate me to where I am today.

“And hopefully take me a lot further.”

To where he can definitively say he is better than his old man was.

“My goal was to just always follow in his footsteps and try to be better than him,” Robinson said. “I think that was one my motivating factors.”

And perhaps it will lead him to make some game-winning plays this year in the garnet and gold. And maybe, just maybe, one of his touchdowns will get a dad in the stands to celebrate a Florida State victory by hoisting his young son up on his shoulders.

Just like Dominic Robinson did with his 12 years ago.

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Talk about this story with other die-hard Florida State football fans on the Tribal Council.