Insight on the plan for WR Duce Robinson's two-sport juggle

Throughout Duce Robinson's spotlight recruitment the last couple years, the two-sport star out of Phoenix emphasized how important it was to him to continue to pursue a future in both football and baseball.

In fact, for a time, there was intrigue about what might happen if he got drafted by a Major League Baseball team last summer and how that would impact his college football availability.

Ultimately, Robinson went undrafted, arrived at USC last summer and turned in a pretty solid freshman season on the football field with 16 receptions for 351 yards and 2 touchdowns, including a 44-yard TD in the Trojans' resounding Holiday Bowl win over Louisville.

With USC's wide receiver depth chart losing a handful of veterans, Robinson should be positioned for a significantly bigger role in the offense next fall.

But what about baseball, with spring practice just a month away for the football team?

The Trojans baseball team opened its season Friday and Robinson traveled with the squad to Mesa, Arizona. He drew one start and went 0 for 2 at the plate.

Both football coach Lincoln Riley and baseball coach Andy Stankiewicz addressed the plan for Robinson moving forward ...

"We've obviously had pretty good experience with [having players also do baseball] with a couple of guys in the past, so it's very doable, and we're very fortunate that Andy and that group are so easy to work with, so we've had great communication,/" Riley said. "Really, the biggest baseball challenge right now is the practice and games not being right here [due to construction on the baseball field] -- that's probably the biggest challenge. Now, it's for good reason obviously with the facility, the new baseball stadium on the way, but we've worked through it logistically. I don't think Duce is going to miss too much [football]. "He's got some hour limitations on some of the days that they play."

Stankiewicz, meanwhile, seemed to provide even more clarity on the matter, acknowledging that it's ultimately up to Riley and the football program as Robinson is on a football scholarship.

"He's got spring football coming up and I know they want him in spring workouts. I get it, he's on their scholarship, so they basically have the say," Stankiewicz said. "He's a long ways away, but he's getting better every day. He didn't even play high school baseball last year so he's just behind, he's raw -- he's a big kind of ball of clay and he's fun to work with. He's a great kid, got a great attitude and worth ethic, but he's behind. That's the hard part is how do you get better in baseball? You get better in baseball by playing, by practicing every day. Well, he's going to slide over to football practice here shortly and then come back to baseball and go to football and go to baseball. It's hard. ...

"But he's working hard. I don't have a great answer for you. I can tell you that we enjoy having him. It's going to be up to football [how his schedule works]."

Stankiewicz reiterated that Robinson is having to learn how to hit college pitching and more advanced breaking balls, changeups, etc., and that his need for as much live action and development as possible will continue to be challenged by the demands of football.

"Think about it, he's going to be here -- in the summertime all of our guys go play summer ball and all of our guys are going to get another 100 at-bats, 150 at-bats. Well, he's not, and I get it -- he's a great football player," Stankiewicz said. "I've seen some great development early, he's a great athlete, but it's hard to do when you're just doing it part-time."

Robinson isn't the only USC football player trying two sports this spring, as fellow wide receiver Zachariah Branch will spend some time with the track team, but that's an easier balance.

"Zach's going to run some track, going to try to qualify for some of obviously the bigger meets down the line, but he won't be running a quote unquote full track schedule, so his availability will probably be a little more smooth than Duce's. Baseball is certainly more of a challenge," Riley acknowledged.

USC has had other football players manage that balance with track -- most notably former star cornerback Adoree' Jackson -- but winter/spring team sports have always proven a tougher challenge. (It has been done to some degree -- legendary Trojans offensive lineman Anthony Munoz famously pitched for USC's 1978 national championship baseball team) while fellow future football Hall of Famer Ronnie Lott moonlighted briefly for the basketball team.)

But Robinson doesn't just want to dabble in baseball.

And more recent examples have shown just how hard that balance is. Drake London was as serious about basketball as he was football when he arrived at USC a handful of years ago, but he became an instant star on the football field and would end his basketball pursuit after his freshman season. Meanwhile, Austin Overn went the other way -- a walk-on receiver for the Trojans, he became a star and freshman All-American in baseball last year and subsequently made that his sole pursuit. Others have talked about doing both -- former wide receiver Mario Williams was intent on playing baseball but it never materialized -- but the year-round demands from each sport make it a significant challenge.

For now, Robinson remains determined to beat the odds and find a home on both fields, and the coaches remain supportive of his quest -- but not at the cost of missing a pivotal spring of football practice as he looks to build his chemistry with the QBs to set up a potentially big sophomore season.

"He's very serious about both sports and we're working hard to create a path for him to be successful in both," Riley said.