At 6-6 and 225 pounds, Duce Robinson is among the most physically imposing players in the 2023 college football recruiting class.
The nation’s top tight end recruit signed with USC and Lincoln Riley in late March and could become the latest weapon for the offensive-minded coach. But first, there’s the matter of the 2023 MLB Draft. Robinson is widely projected to be selected this week.
It’s rare to see a two-sport star who can choose to play professionally in either competition, but Robinson’s build, athleticism and baseball skills make it possible for him to sign with an MLB team while continuing to play football for the Trojans.
While that will be difficult territory to traverse, Riley has the experience to handle it: He faced a similar situation at Oklahoma with Kyler Murray, who signed a baseball contract after being selected ninth overall by the Athletics in the 2018 MLB Draft. Murray ultimately picked football over baseball and went on to win the Heisman Trophy in 2018 before being selected first overall by the Cardinals in the 2019 NFL Draft.
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That is the example Robinson hopes to follow while at USC, though his decision likely will be influenced by how highly he is drafted. Here’s everything you need to know about his choice and where he reportedly is leaning:
What’s next for Duce Robinson?
Sign with an MLB team after the draft
Robinson’s ultimate goal, he told ESPN, is to play football for USC while also being under contract to an MLB team.
“We’re just trying to get ready for the draft right now. We’re ready for everything and hopefully I get drafted highly,” Robinson, an outfielder, told ESPN. “And then the goal from there would be to play college football and hopefully be able to sign a professional baseball contract so I could play both that way.”
The NCAA allows for student-athletes to play college football after being taken in the MLB Draft (though signing with a team would cost Robinson his college baseball eligibility). Robinson acknowledged to ESPN that playing both sports would be a challenge, but he said it was possible due to the fact they take place at different times during the year.
“The first couple years in the minor leagues, they’re super flexible with those guys, where the major leagues it usually leaks into football season a little bit,” Robinson told ESPN. “But baseball would be in the summer and then football is during the fall. So, the plan right now is to continue to play football for as long as possible and baseball for as long as possible.”
Prioritize football at USC
If Robinson elects to forgo baseball entirely, it’s likely his professional aspirations will be tied entirely to the NFL.
That’s not a bad business decision: Riley has produced 32 NFL Draft picks in six years as a head coach, most notably top overall picks Murray and Baker Mayfield.
“He had Kyler Murray and it was recently,” Robinson said of Riley, via ESPN. “Coach Riley has done this before with a guy at a super high level and he’s all-in on it. He knows what works, what doesn’t work and it was probably harder to balance it with a quarterback, because it’s such a unique position.”
Riley has sent only one tight end to the NFL, though that player has been successful in both the collegiate and pro ranks: Mark Andrews of the Ravens.
Like Robinson, Andrews hails from Arizona and chose to play football for Riley. He went 86th overall in the third round of the 2018 NFL Draft and has since gone on to become a three-time Pro Bowler and a first-team All-Pro selection.
Another facet of Robinson’s decision is his NIL valuation at USC. According to On3, Robinson ranks 15th among high school athletes with an estimated annual average of $373,000 in NIL deals.
Riley appears certain that Robinson will play football at USC over the next few years.
“There is two kind of knowns right now,” Riley said after Robinson signed with the Trojans in April. “The first, Duce is going to play football at USC, and the second is baseball is going to be in his future . . . which is really exciting.”
MORE: MLB Draft tracker 2023: Live picks, results for Rounds 1-20
Play football and baseball at USC
The least likely option is for Robinson to play both college football and baseball for the Trojans, like Murray did with the Sooners, Deion Sanders did at Florida State and Bo Jackson did at Auburn. That would almost certainly mean that Robinson was not selected highly in the MLB Draft.
If that were the case, he could build his MLB Draft stock in much the same way Brandon Sproat did at Florida. But Sproat was able to improve his draft stock while playing only baseball.
Robinson would not have that luxury, switching between football and baseball at least until he was eligible to be taken in the 2026 MLB Draft. But USC baseball’s resurgence under first-year coach Andy Stankiewicz at least makes it an option.
Duce Robinson MLB Draft scouting report
Robinson is not among the top 100 prospects in the 2023 MLB Draft, according to most mock drafts. Nor was he among the top 100 high school players, as ranked by Perfect Game America. He was Perfect Game’s 172nd overall player in the 2023 high school class and 29th-ranked outfielder.
That said, Robinson is on a few MLB draft big boards: He ranks 154th on Baseball America, and 247th on ESPN (subscriptions required for each). According to Baseball America, the signing bonus values for a player selected with those picks in 2023 are $396,700 and $191,900, respectively.
MORE: MLB Draft prospects 2023: Final big board of top 100 players overall
Duce Robinson 247 recruiting rankings
Robinson ranks much higher in football than he does in baseball.
According to 247Sports’ Composite rankings, he is the No. 19 overall player in the 2023 recruiting class and the top-ranked tight end. The question now is whether Robinson will prioritize USC football (and perhaps baseball) over MLB — for the immediate future, at least.