Duce Robinson is Off and Running With the USC Trojans
Duce Robinson didn’t take long to get up to speed with the USC Trojans.
The 6-foot-6, 230-pound offensive weapon is already turning heads during summer conditioning.
The USC Athletics Twitter account posted video on Wednesday of Robinson running in some timed drills. He’s clocked at 21.06 miles per hour. That doesn’t quite come out ahead of the fastest NFL wide receivers. But it puts him somewhere in that conversation. And for a true freshman at that size, that number is eye-opening.
According to the video, only 36 NFL players were clocked running more than 21 miles per hour in 2022. And yes, that is game speed with pads compared to Robinson’s effort in shorts and a t-shirt. But it certainly doesn’t diminish the accomplishment.
Some of the speeds posted for comparison include:
Seattle receiver D.K. Metcalf – 21.66 MPH
Cincinnati receiver Ja’Marr Chase – 21.74 MPH
Miami receiver Tyreek Hill – 21.91 MPH
Robinson’s Role at USC
Robinson was listed as a tight end by all the recruiting services as a high school prospect. But there’s a good chance he won’t be at USC. At least, head coach Lincoln Riley flat-out said this summer, “I certainly don’t see him as a tight end.”
While Robinson could be used at times as a tight end, he won’t be someone who consistently lines up next to an offensive tackle with his hand in the dirt. He’s also been mentioned as a wide receiver every time a USC official account has referred to him. That includes when the program announced his signing and here in the above social media post.
“He’s a unique skill set that we obviously are fired up to add to a good group right now,” Riley said in early April. “I would imagine he’s a guy we’ll have the opportunity to move around and do some unique things with. Because from a matchup standpoint, you can go out recruiting four or five years and not see that combination. It’s a very unique combination of the skill set that he has.”
