Top TE recruit Duce Robinson keeping Georgia, USC, Alabama, others waiting

We've all seen the impact an elite tight end can have on a football program. Just look at what Travis Kelce has meant for the Kansas City Chiefs in the NFL. They're playing in another Super Bowl in large part to his dominance.

Tight ends can be game-changers at the college level as well, just ask Georgia tight end Brock Bowers.

With that in mind, it's no wonder that so many blue-chip programs are after the commitment of 2023's No. 1 tight end recruit, five-star Duce Robinson.

Robinson, already a 6-foot-6, 225-pound athletic specimen, has 28 offers, but it appears as if his recruitment is coming down to some of the usual subjects: Georgia, USC, Texas, Alabama and Oregon.

While that's potentially exciting news for those programs, there is a catch. 247Sports' Blair Angulo is reporting that while National Signing Day is just hours away (Wednesday, Feb. 1, 2023), Robinson may not be able to make a decision in time to sign on the dotted line.

“I think he’s completely torn, and I wouldn’t be surprised if he doesn’t sign,” a source told 247Sports.

Georgia, USC, Texas, Alabama and Oregon are all great options for an elite recruit, but there's another factor for Robinson to consider as well, and that's another passion of his.

The big tight end could potentially find his name called in the first round of the MLB draft. 247Sports reports that if Robinson is drafted high enough, he'll sign a minor league contract while also joining a college football team as a walk-on.

“The goal is to be drafted in baseball [this summer] and then hopefully work something out where I could sign a baseball contract and then play college football as well,” Robinson said. “If that doesn’t work out, I’ll just go to the college route and do both in college, and hopefully it works out from there.”

According to the industry-generated 247Sports composite rankings, Robinson is the No. 1 tight end in the 2023 class as well as the No. 17-ranked recruit overall. He also has baseball offers at Oregon, Georgia and Alabama.