Florida State wide receiver Duce Robinson looked like a future NFL payday last season. At 6-foot-6, coming off a 1,000-yard year and a semifinalist nod for the Biletnikoff Award, he had the kind of profile that usually sends a receiver climbing draft boards. Instead, he came back to Tallahassee.
So far, that decision has not paid off.
Robinson entered this season carrying plenty of preseason buzz, landing on the All-ACC, Maxwell Award watch list, Walter Camp Player of the Year watch list, and earning 2nd Team Associate Press (AP) All-American recognition. But through six games, his numbers have dipped to 17 catches for 294 yards and two touchdowns. At this point a year ago, he had already posted 25 receptions for 443 yards and two scores.
That drop has turned him into more of a background piece in Florida State’s offense, a strange outcome for a player whose size and contested-catch ability made him such a headache for defenses last season. Robinson hauled in 18 contested catches a year ago, the most of any returning ACC receiver. The one major knock scouts had on him was clear: he didn’t have the top-end speed to consistently separate.
Even with that concern, he still looked like a player who would hear his name on draft day. In hindsight, the source of his lost NFL money is easy to see.
Florida State coach Mike Norvell said Monday that Robinson needs to be a bigger part of the offense.
“We need Duce Robinson to be a major impact for this team and I feel like he is and he will continue to be that for the rest of the season,” said Norvell. But, yeah, we do we want more production with opportunities.
“It’s being able to get him more opportunities as well as making sure that we're capitalizing on all things as it plays out throughout the course of the game. But, he's an incredible player “ Norvell said. “I think he's absolutely grown in all facets of being a receiver and I'm excited for what this back half of the season will be for him because he's definitely a guy that we count on in a very high capacity.”
The problem is, Florida State has heard a lot of that sort of thing already this season. The Seminoles are 3-3, and neither the offense nor the broader team performance has been stable enough to back up the talk.
That puts extra pressure on this week’s trip to Miami. Florida State takes on the Hurricanes, who are 5-0 and ranked No. 3 in the country. Miami’s offense has been the best in college football, averaging 554 yards of total offense through six games.
Against that kind of opponent, Robinson’s mismatch value jumps out even more. His size against smaller defenders is the kind of edge that should be obvious to anyone watching.
With six games left, Robinson is likely working through what will be his final season in Tallahassee. He has six chances to push his production back in the right direction and help a struggling Florida State team and its coach try to salvage the year.
In Other News...
Florida State Just Took A Brutal Recruiting Hit Before Miami
Florida State took a significant hit on the eve of one of its biggest games, dismissing freshman cornerback Chuck Kennon from the football team for conduct detrimental to the team, according to a university spokesman. Kennon was the highest-rated recruit in the Seminoles 2026 class and is no longer listed on the official roster, leaving the program to regroup at a position that always draws attention in a rivalry week buildup.
The timing adds another layer of discomfort for a team already focused on Miami, because this was supposed to be one of the young players around whom Florida State could build some early momentum. Instead, the Seminoles are left dealing with the fallout of losing a prominent newcomer just as the stakes rise, and the program now has to move forward without one of its most notable additions before the matchup arrives. [Read more 🡒]
Anthony Robinson's Return Could Decide How Fast FSU Rebounds
Anthony Robinson II arrived at Florida State as the kind of experienced addition a program leans on when it wants to get back to the NCAA Tournament quickly. The senior point guard spent three seasons at Missouri before transferring in, and his track record gives the Seminoles a veteran handler who has already seen high-level basketball and knows what it takes to steady an offense.
Luke Loucks is expecting Robinson to do more than simply bring the ball up the floor. Florida State wants him organizing possessions, protecting the ball better and finding a more efficient scoring rhythm, because his ability to manage all of that will go a long way toward determining how fast the Seminoles can climb back into relevance. [Read more 🡒]
FSU Just Lost A Highly Touted Young DB Under Alarming Circumstances
Florida State moved quickly after freshman defensive back Chauncey Alvoid Kennon was arrested on charges including aggravated fleeing to elude, false imprisonment and resisting an officer without violence. The Seminoles dismissed him from the team for conduct detrimental to the team, a significant development for a young player who had been viewed as part of the programs future.
Kennon remains in custody without bail, and the charges are allegations, not convictions. Even so, the situation adds an uneasy off-field note for Florida State, which is now left to absorb both the roster loss and the uncertainty that comes with a case still unfolding. [Read more 🡒]