FOOTBALL

USC Morning Buzz: Red Flag For Elite Prospect?

USC’s recruiting class can move into the top 10 if it lands cornerback Rodrick Pleasant and tight end Duce Robinson.

Robinson is the nation’s No. 1-ranked tight end . . . but he might play professional baseball and football if he gets drafted high enough in the MLB Draft. Robinson worked out for the Dodgers at Dodger Stadium at Jan. 16.

Is that a positive or a negative? Playing baseball all summer and then doing football in the fall doesn’t sound ideal. Especially if he’s getting paid a big baseball bonus, which makes football less of a priority.

Maybe it will work if Robinson’s a great athlete. But history suggests otherwise. Look at Drake London. He never got his basketball career going despite his athletic prowess.

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72 thoughts on “USC Morning Buzz: Red Flag For Elite Prospect?”

  1. Does USC even use a tight end ?

    Read an article about Saben turning down a player who wanted $800,000 to play for Alabama and another who wanted $500,000 and for Saben to get his girlfriend into Bama’s law school, he told both of them no.

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      1. Riley will scheme formations to isolate him on the middle LB. I am sure you recall how Shame Lee would get spun around like a top in pass coverage against athletic TEs. I see Duce putting the same type of pressure on opposing LBs

        Liked by 1 person

      3. There was nothing really “Air Raid” about the way Harrell & his QB used London. London ran the sideline— he was Slovis’ first, second and third read —after 3 seconds Slovis threw the ball high into the air for Drake to snare away from the double team pressed against him. It was our only play…and when it was gone [cuz Drake predictably got injured] we lost the rest of our games.

        Liked by 1 person

    2. I hope both those players receive the following message from USC: “We will honor the greed of your agents in a heartbeat.”
      #MakingTheWorldSafeForCorruption

      Liked by 1 person

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    3. They’ll use this guy if they get him but I don’t believe they will use him as a tight end. He’ll be used mostly as a wide receiver although I think they will line him up near the tackle on a lot of plays because he has the size to help out blocking on the running plays.

      Liked by 1 person

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      1. Watch the KC Chiefs. Andy is a master at creating match-up advantages for Kelce. Waller with the Raiders is another of the new hybrid TEs, he just needs to stay healthy

        Liked by 1 person

    1. hi john, I absolutely like sounding like a dumb Fuc on purpose, and my alter ego is fucing dumber then me. How long should I keep this going? 😂 😂😂. Sincerely, Dumb Fuc Ed.G

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    1. Another reason to finally let our tickets go this year. As much as I love seeing us win, I don’t want to buy a national championship.

      But that’s NCAA (NFL-D) football now.

      Liked by 2 people

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      2. I don’t want to buy gasoline. Or food, either. Buying football players really sucks.

        Come to think of it, I don’t want to buy anything. I want everything to be provided for me free, including my lunch. Start getting it ready, would you? The government cooks too slowly and I don’t like to wait. Chop chop.

        Liked by 2 people

      5. slo troll: “I don’t want to buy a national championship.”

        Please expand on this comment…thanks!

        (let’s talk football….YOU CAN DO IT!)

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      6. Gabby, my reference was in fun, you being an expert can always get good advice from yourself. Not picking on you at all, I just use that as an excuse when someone hears me talking to myself anyway. (like my wife)

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    2. Inner Gabby: I know what they guys are thinking. Does anyone better capture ” a tale told by an idiot, full of sound and fury, signifying nothing” than Gabby. Does anyone drag down a discussion into the mud faster than Gabby. But I must defend my outer self—he is a self-admitted dimwit, so he cannot help himself. Blame nature, just not much going up in the ole’ brain–a regular wind tunnel. So have pity on the dimwit.

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      2. When someone has repeatedly made disgusting and perverted comments about my family members, I will not let it go. I hope you would feel the same way about someone disrespecting your family when they have nothing to do with the situation. If a troll tells you he’s going to “bitch slap” I am sure your opinion of that person would change real quick. If you don’t accept that type of behavior, why should I

        Steve….. please, enlighten me?

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      3. If you want the fire to die out quit adding fuel to it….dipshit. You’re fucking lame!

        I know exactly who this two-faced coward is!

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      7. relax…..When I want to talk football I talk football. When slo troll is telling daily political lies and being disrespectful he’s treated appropriately. Why should I turn into a mink little sheep? Respect is earned not given

        I have compassion for the old man, he gets a lot of my time. Outside MG, I am the only one who replies to him.

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      8. “No one replies to you! Nanner! Nanner!”

        Oh yeah, he doesn’t act like a child. LOL

        Lies, lies and more lies.

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      10. LOL! Playing the victim AGAIN.

        Dumbass, YOU are the one who first started mentioning my wife. Quit lying and acting as if that didn’t happen. I am willing to leave that in the past because I’m not a child.

        But if you keep it up, I’ll do the same. It’s simple. But you’re too stupid to grasp it.

        As others on here have said, you can dish it out but you can’t take it.

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      11. You sound confused AGAIN…..You claim to not make childish comments, yet you just called me a “dumbass”….. what the hell is doing on between your ears… MY GOD!!!! take a few days off, away from the blog, and clear all the animosity out of the brain….

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      12. I would never accept someone badmouthing my wife or family. Not sure how I would respond but I have had assholes make unkind comments and I have just simply blocked them and never read another comment they made. If you need advice Gabby, go ahead and talk to yourself, you usually make sense.

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      15. You senile sack of shit, I never said anything disgusting and perverted about your wife or any of the family members……Making sexual references about my 16-year-old daughter, talking about my wife getting banged in the ass, and me sucking on my mom’s tits while she lactates. Does your wife know you talk this way on the internet.

        So why say to steve… “That’s why I didn’t let it go without responding in kind”…Which is a fucking lie. I am serious dude, you have mental issues.

        I have come to the conclusion you’re a fucking “narcissist”. What pisses off a narcissist more than anything is telling one the truth, which is consistent with you always trying to get the last word in to claim some moral victory.

        Take some ownership of your pathetic behavior.

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      16. You are the one who’s lying. You brought my wife up long before I brought your family into it. You’re lying about this the same way you lie about liberal policies and the effect they’ve had on this country.

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      17. So cal….fucking you…..What did I say about your wife….and don’t lie… I never said anything sexual or perverted about your wife….So how in the fuck would it possibly be considered what you said about my family “responding in kind”…..give me another lame excuse….a narcissist can never be wrong…it eats them up inside.

        I have never seen anyone who denies things when the facts slap him in the forehead…..narcissism to the extreme

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      18. you sound confused again…..so your opinion isn’t a lie but my opinion is a lie….. You really need to study the definition of the word “Opinion”….you keep claiming your opinions are facts…..I know one thing, opinions are like assholes, everyone has one, but yours stink more than others

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      19. And talk about having to get the last word!!!! LMFAO

        You ALWAYS try to do that. As fake Gaby says…always accusing others of what YOU’RE guilty of. Pathetic.

        You think meeting up is what a real man does. Wrong. A real man doesn’t lie and contradict himself the way you do.

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      20. SLO TROLL: always accusing others of what YOU’RE guilty of.

        Please explain this…. you sound confused…another example of your failure to comprehend context…..

        It’s fucking weird how you’re always misinterpreting what people are saying…..you have some processing issues…take ownership

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      21. WHY DOES IT SEEM LIKE I AM ALWAYS CORRECTING YOU ON COMMON SENSE ISSUES…..O’wait, you’re only book smart…got it…my bad

        Like

  4. Hey TIREBITER, this one’s for you:

    Q: What did Lincoln Riley say to his defensive coordinator following Oklahoma’s 48-0 beat down of the Missouri State Bears to open the 2020 football season?

    A: “Thanks for nothing, Grinch!”

    Liked by 2 people

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      2. You should have included the whole quote: “Thank you….. for not coaching …or speaking to … any of the players on offense.”

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  5. Again all the “Star” ratings are bullshit. Look at this article from last week. Coaches are literally politicking to get guys they’ve already signed moved up in the rankings. It‘s all crap.

    https://theathletic.com/4119409/2023/01/24/college-football-recruiting-5-stars/?source=user_shared_article

    “Turns out we didn’t even move him down. It was some other service,” said Ivins, a recruiting reporter and analyst since 2016 who recently became 247Sports’ first scouting director since Barton Simmons left to become Vanderbilt’s general manager in 2021.

    “I haven’t personally spoken to a ton of head coaches, but I know other guys on our team have,” Ivins said. “I’ll say this: All those (coaches) love to get up on signing day and say that the rankings don’t matter. But it matters to them. When it comes to crunch time, they’re gonna make some phone calls and try to get their guys moved up. There’s no doubt about that.”

    Liked by 1 person

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    1. Remember this guy?
      BREAKING: Five-Star CB Domani Jackson has Committed to USC

      The No. 5 Player in the 2022 Class (#1 CB) chose the Trojans over Alabama.

      5. Domani Jackson • CB • USC • Santa Ana, Calif. (0 starts, 45 snaps on defense): Jackson appeared in five games and played a season-high 18 snaps on defense against Arizona State in Week 5 and gave up two catches for 50 yards the two times he was targeted in coverage. He had two tackles and was in on the kick coverage and punt return teams.

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    2. Sure. I’ve heard from people who oughta know the biggest offender in this respect was a former Trojan coach named Clay SomethingOrOther….
      #”GodToldMeToDoItToIMPROVETheRankings….!”
      #….”TheyWereGoodButIMadeThemGreat!”

      Liked by 1 person

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      2. There’s apparently always 32 5 Stars per year in the 24/7 Rankings!

        That’s insane! There’s zero way to compare what rankings mean year to year. Like a guy who’s a 4 Star in a loaded class could be a top 10 guy in a down year.

        The more I learn about recruiting the dumber it gets; and it should be noted I’ve always thought it was dumb and pointless. Also, the guy that runs 24/7 for football had all of 5 years of experience in the industry before he was put in charge.

        The stars get clicks though so we’re doomed to see this the rest of our lives.

        Liked by 1 person

  6. LR should have never brought Grinch with him from Oklahoma. Grinch is not a great DC. At least Clancy Pendergrast was an outstanding DC when he was at Cal and the Arizona Cardinals before he came to SC

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    2. It’s reflexive to point the finger at Grinch. But he should not shoulder all the blame. For example, in the last two games against Utah and Tulane, often more than not the player(s) were in a position to make the tackle but whiffed in the given situation or were more concerned with trying to stripe the football.

      At this stage, a player is far passed “tackling 101” and should be making these plays. My point is if the player lacks the skill set or physicality, it comes down to talent issues, not a coaching deficiency

      Grinch has some better players coming in next season. With the increase in talent let’s see if the results improve. Riley studies defense so he knows how to attack them, perhaps he has some advice on tweaking the schemes.

      Liked by 1 person

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      1. You said it yourself when you said “often more than not the player(s) were in a position to make the tackle”. When you are in the position to make the tackle it is no longer a matter of natural talent. If you are in the position to make the tackle, you should make the tackle even if you are a high school player. It’s no longer a matter of speed or leaping ability. That’s the coaches job….to prepare them to be in the right position and then to teach them to tackle.
        I have mixed feelings about this whole thing. I see what LR is doing and I see the logic of it. He’s looking at the game and how it has changed since the 50s and 60’s. The rules have been changed to favor the offense(targeting, don’t touch the QB……). The fans love offense. The old saying that defense wins is not necessarily true anymore. Offense wins.
        So LR is changing the culture on this team beginning with the offense. I’m not sure I disagree with that process. But you do need a good defense to in order to win a NC. Georgia was #9 nationally last year in defense. SC was 106th.
        LR had the clout(because of his past record as a proven winner) to bring in a really good DC when he left Oklahoma, unlike Clay Helton. I think that he should have done it and he probably will soon have to do it.
        We’ll see. They are bringing in some really good players and will bring in more once the portal opens up again. Remember, Gentry and Addison came in after spring camp last year.

        Liked by 1 person

      2. Point of Order: I can’t remember his name …but… somebody else was Riley’s first choice as DC. When he got tuned down, Riley went with Grinch cuz he couldn’t waste time getting his staff together for recruiting reasons.

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  7. Big, fast tight ends with great hands always create a mismatch. The deal is scheming on offense to take advantage of it, and on defense to minimize the impact. On the defensive side, the free safety is the key because he’s got to help out the linebackers covering the tight ends and pick up a back out of the backfield. Some teams even use their edge rushers (defensive end) to cover a certain zone in the scheme

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    1. I agree, Bryan….. but it seems to me we didn’t even have a played designated as a tight end or a free safety on the field roughly a quarter of the time….
      #….MaybeMakeThat15%OfTheTime…

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  8. Is Malcom Epps still with the team? Didn’t Kyler Murray and Russell Wilson play both football and baseball? John Jackson used to play both sports at USC, so did Rodney Peete? Why is this an issue with Wolf?

    Liked by 1 person

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    1. It sounded like Scott was worried that Duce’s bonus might interfere with his dedication to football….personally, I just hope we get to the point where that’s a problem [i.e., it would be great to take Duce from Georgia]….

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