After two quiet games, Duce Robinson was an active part of Florida State’s game plan from the start on Saturday at Alabama.
Ashton Daniels connected with Duce Robinson on the first play of the game, a 15-yarder. It was the first of eight targets between Daniels and Robinson, who caught six passes for 135 yards and a 20-yard touchdown to wrap up the game’s initial drive.
“I was really really proud of the way I played, just all around,” Robinson said. “It felt like I played receiver at a high level. Obviously, I need to continue stacking days, I need to continue to keep getting better at that position because there’s definitely some opportunities that I missed, whether that be in the pass game or the blocking game.”
Robinson had been stacking games throughout 2025. He had eight games with 70 or more receiving yards en route to a season in which he had 56 catches for 1,081 yards and six touchdowns.
It was that type of consistency, as well as a 6-foot-6 and 230-pound frame, that made Robinson a preseason All-American. Robinson was a difference maker for FSU a year ago, and he opted to return to campus to be a leader and help the Seminoles rebuild.
But Robinson had just three catches for 50 yards on six targets in the win over New Mexico State, followed by two receptions for 25 yards on five targets in the loss to SMU.
How much double coverage Robinson faces is up to the opponent. Alabama tried man-to-man coverage before later bracketing him with a safety. But Daniels and coach Mike Norvell have to strengthen the connection with Robinson moving forward, beginning with Saturday’s game against Central Arkansas (3 p.m. on ACC Network) and then into the meat of ACC play.
“He’s a freakin ballplayer. Great human being. Fantastic,” Daniels said after the game. “He puts in so much work. He’s great. We got a great relationship, great connection and we’re going to continue to build on that for the rest of the year.”
Norvell wants the offense to be run-centric. Tailbacks like Ousmane Kromah, Tre Wisner and perhaps freshman Amari Thomas as well as even Daniels will help power the offense on the ground. But Robinson is an established threat in the passing game, and the attention he takes on helps ensure Micahi Danzy, Jayvan Boggs and other receivers can get open, too.
Daniels’ experience and leadership were big positives coming to FSU. But he’s also building chemistry on the fly behind a new offensive line and with FSU’s receivers. Robinson is encouraged by what he thinks is to come.
“It all goes back to trusting our guys down the field,” Robinson said. “Ashton showed off his arm talent on Saturday. He showed off his ability to make plays down the field. That helps the run game a lot, too. The run game helped open up the pass game and the pass game is going to help open up the run game.”
Robinson later talked on the missed opportunities. Daniels passed for 377 yards, but he also had three interceptions. FSU’s receivers also didn’t do a good enough job of coming back to Daniels when he was scrambling. It’s clear after watching film that Robinson saw those opportunities in a 50-36 loss to Alabama.
“We kept fighting. We showed resiliency,” Robinson said. “We went down two scores in the fourth quarter. I think at times last year that would have forced us to lay down our hat and give up. This year we drove right down the field and we put ourselves in position to win the game. … Obviously, it wasn’t the outcome we wanted but I think that showed a lot about our football team.”
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