Duke Robinson is excited to be part of a USC receiver room loaded with talent heading into the 2024 season. The 6-foot-6 former No. 1 tight end in the country is coming off a freshman season in which he was the team’s third-best receiver.
With the completion of the leading receiver Tahj Washington as well as Brenden Ricethere is room for Robinson and others to step into bigger roles. Even though the Trojans are missing their top two receivers from last year, Robinson still described the group as “full” after a recent practice.
“Our receiver room is obviously loaded,” he said. “I think we have an incredible amount of talent there. Coach Riley is obviously one of the best offensive players in college football, so he’s going to find ways to use all of us to our strengths. He’s going to come up with creative ways to get the ball to all of us to our strengths. So I’m super excited to see what we can accomplish together at the end of the day. I think we have a great group that can do really special things.”
Robinson converted just 16 catches for 351 yards and two touchdowns last season, averaging 21.9 yards per catch. But he’s not the only former five-star prospect returning to USC for a second season.
The Trojans also bring back Zachariah Branchwho showed off his speed in 2023 by returning both a kick and a punt for a touchdown. He was also a standout receiver with 31 catches for 320 yards and two touchdowns.
Both players want to take a step forward, and their fellow student Ja’Kobi Lane will compete for time with some talented transfer players. The former UCLA wide receiver Kyle Ford and star of San Jose State Karl Rosswho had five catches for 62 yards in last season’s opening game against the Trojans, will compete with him for reps.
USC has been a top five passing offense over the past two seasons, but will have a new quarterback this season with Caleb Williams went to the NFL. Müller Moos is the favorite to succeed him, but is currently in a dispute with the UNLV transfer office. Jayden Maiava.
Regardless of who starts, the Trojans will have no shortage of weapons in the passing game with Duce Robinson and other players. They will begin the season with a tough test against LSU on Sept. 1.
