Things changed in December last year when the talented USC wide receiver Duce Robinson entered the transfer portal. He wanted to add some more skills. And during the search, he found the perfect destination. The Florida State Seminoles. A place where his father played 2 decades ago. It was the perfect place for the young 20-year-old son. Everyone was excited, even the Florida State HC Mike Norvell. And now, after the 5th spring practice out of the scheduled 15, the head coach talked about his team in detail.

As expected, everyone wanted to know about the WR. Norvell did reveal his feelings and said, “He didn’t come here as a finished product. There’s work to be done, and there are things that he recognizes and embraces for the opportunities to get better. And that’s where, when you got guys that have potential to be great players, when they have a great edge and desire for growth and improvement, you got a chance.” It’s clear! The trajectory for the WR is only rising in his dad’s former team. There’s a lot to learn, and Norvell is being honest about it. Seems like he’s hopeful of the Robinson, with a total 747 yards in his college career.

Duce Robinson has a long, tough path on which he has to walk. The WR has to get used to the Florida State style of football that includes big receivers. In fact, he gave a strong boost to their need for physical receivers. At 6-foot-6 and 220 pounds, he is as towering as the WRs get.

Also, he played well during his 2 years at the USC. In his first year at the USC, Robinson played 10 games, ending the season with 16 receptions for 351 receiving yards and 2 touchdowns. The sophomore year was better as he played 12 games (5 starters) and recorded 23 receptions for 396 yards and 5 TDs. That puts 19.2 yards per catch. Interestingly, FSU made an offer to the WR in 2020, but he wasn’t serious about his career then.

This time around, the receiver is an ace for Mike Norvell. In 2 college seasons, his drop rate is a phenomenal 4.2% on 46 targets. That would have been the lowest in his current team, with Ja’Khi Douglas (5.9% drop rate on 46 targets) and Malik Benson (7.4% drop rate on 47 targets). That’s impressive. Safe to say that under Norvell’s mentorship, Robinson has a long road to tread.

Meanwhile, not everything is sunny at FSU. While the HC is focusing on developing the skills and gathering a team feeling, the injuries are also piling up. He opened up on those as well.

Mike Norvell reveals 3 injured players

Though the FSU has completed only one-third of their practice sessions, the team will miss 3 players going forward. The HC Mike Norvell revealed this while talking to reporters on March 27 as he named OL Jacob Rizy, DL Daniel Lyons, and LB Caleb LaVallee to miss the further sessions.

While revealing the injury report, he said, “Jacob Rizy and Caleb LaVallee will both miss the rest of the spring. They should both have great work in the summer as we lead up to fall practice – as well as Daniel Lyons.” Now that’s hard. Injuries take away the teamwork from the squad, and these three players weren’t any average Joes.

Jacob Rizy is playing his 2nd season at the Seminoles after arriving from Harvard. He showed versatility by playing 3 positions: LG, RG, and Center. That’s why Coach Norvell started him in 11 games (5 starters). Daniel Lyons also played a similar role by playing inside and out of the edges. Last fall, Lyons started all 12 games, ending with 3 sacks and 25 tackles.

Unlike these two, Caleb LaVallee joined the team a few months ago from North Carolina. The team sees potential in the player. They are already missing 4 players, while the OLs Gunnar Hansen and Jaylen Early have limited participation in practice. It’s exciting how things are shaping up for them before the next practice on Saturday, the 29th of March.

But amid the gloom, Norvell seems optimistic about their WR Robinson. His camaraderie with QB DJ Uiagalelei remains to be seen next, and lets hope the injury gods are kind on Coach Norvell’s fam.