Duce Robinson on getting started at USC, baseball plans, and all that speed

Duce Robinson took his time when it came to making a decision on where he would play college football. The five-star prospect from the 2023 recruiting class took his recruitment 57 days past the February 1 signing day, ultimately announcing his commitment to USC on March 30. It was well worth the wait for the Trojans as USC fans are already getting a sense of what Robinson brings to the field.

Robinson has four receptions through two games and ranks second on the Trojans with 115 receiving yards. He’s part of one of the top wide receiver rooms in the nation, but he’s quickly made himself at home among some standout players.

“I’ve been having a lot of fun being able to play with all these guys,” Robinson said. “It’s been a blessing, honestly.”

Robinson has some talented veterans in the room with him, specifically outside receivers Dorian Singer, Brenden Rice, Kyron Hudson and Michael Jackson III.

“They’ve been incredible,” Robinson said of the veterans. “They’ve become my big brothers. Having two little brothers at home, they really showed me the example of how to become those big brothers, especially in such a short span of time. You know, we’ve only been together for three or four months, but in those three or four months, they’ve taught me so much and I’m forever thankful for them.”

There was little doubt Robinson would eventually succeed at this level. The 6-foot-6, 225-pound, two-sport athlete was the No. 23 overall prospect and No. 1 tight end recruit in the 2023 class. But Robinson didn’t enroll for spring ball, which meant the timeline to make a quick impact was sped up for him. There clearly wasn’t any added pressure that Robinson put on his own shoulders to do that.

“My goal was honestly just to come out here, do my best, compete, and most of all, have fun,” Robinson said. “I know I’m in a room full of incredible receivers. And so I was just trying to have as much fun as possible.”

Robinson certainly had fun this past Saturday as he received a pass over the middle from Miller Moss and took it the rest of the way for a 71-yard touchdown. It was Robinson’s first score in cardinal and gold. The memory of the play is hazy at best. But the memories of the aftermath are lasting.

“I kind of blacked out during it,” Robinson said. “I remember catching it. And then I remember touching the endzone. But man, it was an incredible feeling. Especially seeing the sideline celebrating. Seeing all those guys sprinting after me. It really makes you feel like this team cares about each other.”

Robinson got to showcase his catch radius, height and size in USC’s season-opener against San José State when he went up high for a Moss pass down the middle and boxed out a safety for the long gain. This time, he got to showcase his surprising speed.

“I’ve always taken pride in being able to be athletic,” Robinson said. “I’ve always worked super hard to try to be as athletic as possible. Especially because being tall, people kind of underestimate it. So that’s something I’ve always taken pride in and really tried to work on.”

Robinson wasn’t just fast for a big guy on that play. He was fast, period. According to Reel Analytics, Robinson his a top speed of 21.3 MPH on that play. That was the fifth-fasted mark in the country according to the outlet. Barion Brown of Kentucky, Bucky Irving of Oregon and Smoke Harris of Louisiana Tech were tied at the top, with a 21.8 MPH reading. Averaging the heights and weights of those three, Robinson is eight inches taller and 44 pounds heavier.

Robinson plans to play baseball at USC

Robinson is a standout baseball player as well and will be at Dedeaux Field when the time comes. He said he and head coach Andy Stankiewicz have been in constant communication since he arrived.

“Coach Riley is completely on board with it,” Robinson said, then was asked how that schedule will work. “I guess we’ll kind of have to see. But the plan right now is to start working my way back into it towards the end of football season. So, once football season ends, I can hit it.”