Florida State’s decision to bring back Duce Robinson looked like a smart move when the preseason buzz was building. It looks a lot different now.
Robinson came into this season after putting up 1,000 yards last year and finishing as a semifinalist for the Biletnikoff Award, all while using his 6-foot-6 frame to bully smaller defenders and win contested throws. That kind of profile usually gets NFL teams paying close attention, and Robinson was projected as a high pick in the 2026 NFL Draft. He also led all returning ACC receivers with 18 contested catches last season.
Instead of heading for the draft, he returned to Florida State for another year. With hindsight being 20/20, the source of the frustration is obvious: he likely should have gone pro.
Robinson entered the season carrying a pile of preseason recognition, including All-ACC, the Maxwell Award watch list, the Walter Camp Player of the Year watch list and 2nd Team Associate Press (AP) All-American honors. But the production hasn’t matched the hype. Through six games, he has 17 catches for 294 yards and two touchdowns, a clear drop from where he stood at this point last season, when he had 25 receptions for 443 yards and two scores.
That dip has made him more of a bystander than a centerpiece in the Seminoles’ offense.
Whether it’s a matter of how Mike Norvell has called the offense or how quarterback Ashton Daniels has executed it, Robinson hasn’t been getting the volume you’d expect from Florida State’s best receiver. Norvell addressed that Monday in his game-week press conference.
“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.”
Those words, though, haven’t been backed up on the field. Florida State has struggled to put together consistent football on either side of the ball, and Robinson’s role has shrunk at the same time the Seminoles have slipped to 3-3.
Now comes a brutal test. Florida State heads to Miami to face the Hurricanes, who are 5-0 and ranked No. 3 in the country. Miami brings the top-rated offense in college football and is averaging 554 yards of total offense through six games.
Against a defense and a secondary that can’t afford to overlook him, Robinson’s size remains the kind of matchup problem that jumps off the page. The question is whether Florida State finally uses it.
He has six games left in what is more than likely his last season in Tallahassee, and those final six weeks are his chance to turn the numbers around and help a team-and a coach-trying to steady themselves.
In Other News...
USC QB Publicly Stands Up For Lincoln Riley As Pressure Builds
As USC tries to steady itself after a rough stretch, Jayden Maiava has made it clear he is not buying into the noise around Lincoln Riley. The quarterback spoke up publicly on a podcast, backing his coach at a time when the criticism has only intensified and the Trojans are looking for some sense of footing. It was the kind of remark that tends to travel fast inside a program, especially when pressure is already hanging over the staff and the results have not matched the expectations.
Maiava said the outside criticism can serve as motivation for the group, a stance that fits the broader mood around a team trying to push through scrutiny rather than retreat from it. Riley, for his part, recently praised Maiavas poise and confidence in the Penn State game, a sign that the quarterbacks voice and presence carry real weight in the locker room. Whether that support is enough to quiet the bigger questions around the program is another matter, but it is clear the conversation around USC is not going away anytime soon. [Read more 🡒]
Lincoln Riley Sees One USC Issue That Still Needs Fixing
USC came away from its 31-23 win over Penn State with plenty to like, but Lincoln Riley is still treating the running game as a work in progress as the Trojans head toward their next road test at Wisconsin. There were useful stretches on the ground, yet Riley made it clear the offense has room to grow there, even with the confidence the players around that unit have shown in the backs and the offensive line.
The timing could work in USCs favor, with the bye week offering a chance to get healthier and sharpen the parts of the offense that have not yet settled in. For a team trying to build on a big win and carry it into conference play, the ground attack remains one of the cleaner areas to keep watching, especially once the Trojans get back to game speed in Madison. [Read more 🡒]
Lincoln Riley Outsmarted Penn State When USC Needed It Most
With USC clinging to its lead late against Penn State, Lincoln Riley turned to a formation that did more than just keep the offense on the field. The unusual look created enough confusion to force Matt Campbell to burn a timeout on fourth down, a small detail in the moment that carried real weight in a game where every possession felt strained and every decision mattered.
The sequence only got better for USC a short time later when Christian Pierce forced a fumble and the Trojans recovered it, setting up the closing stretch they needed to drain the clock in a 31-23 win. Riley's call was the kind of late-game chess move that can tilt a tight matchup, and on this night it helped USC finish the job when Penn State needed one clean stop and could not get it. [Read more 🡒]