23' TE Duce Robinson: 'Definitely Many Reasons To Love USC'
No. 1 ranked 2023 tight end Duce Robinson continued to indicate strong interest in USC at the Elite 11 Finals on Tuesday night.
Robinson spent the night catching passes from the nation’s best 2023 quarterbacks, including five-star USC commit Malachi Nelson. Current Trojan and former Elite 11 MVP Caleb Williams also made an appearance as a counselor and threw some balls to Robinson.
At 6’5”, 225 pounds, Robinson has great size and elite athleticism. His 82-inch wingspan and standout in-game vertical make him a serious downfield jump ball threat, much like Drake London. The tight end has great ball skills and hand-eye coordination stemming from his baseball background.
Robinson is considered a two-sport prospect and has more than a dozen Division I offers as an outfielder as well.
USC’s wide receiver room is already loaded, but replacing London with another versatile and physical weapon would be huge for the Trojans. Robinson frequently lines up out wide or in the slot for his high school team.
This flexibility is beneficial for the Trojans and for Robinson, who can likely turn into more of a glorified slot receiver than a traditional tight end. The Trojans haven’t had a tight end drafted since the seventh round of the 2015 draft, but receiving weapons of all kinds will be utilized plenty under Lincoln Riley’s offense.
Robinson seems to be most interested in USC, Georgia and Texas, the latter of which he will visit in the fall. 247Sports and On3 are projecting Robinson to choose USC over his other top suitors. In fact, Robinson told media on Tuesday there are “definitely many reasons to love USC."
More highly-ranked 2023 receivers will be joining the Elite 11's Thursday session, but it’s encouraging for Robinson to get to spend time with the Trojans’ future quarterback duo of Williams and Nelson.
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