Top TE Duce Robinson: 'Would Be Pretty Fun' To Play With Arch Manning, Longhorns

The nation's best tight end prospect is keeping a close eye on Texas and Arch Manning

LOS ANGELES - During the Elite 11 finals in Los Angeles, there were a handful of impressive standouts amongst the skill position players in attendance. 

One of those players, No. 1 tight end, Pinnacle (Phoenix, AZ) product Duce Robinson, had particularly eye-catching performance throughout the week. 

And on Thursday, he caught up with LonghornsCountry.com to update his recruitment, and his interest in Texas -- including his plans for an official visit to Austin this fall. 

"I’m going to take my official for the Texas-Bama game," Robinson said in an exclusive interview. "I’m really looking forward to it. Me and coach (Jeff) Banks have been talking for a while. I visited up there last year at the end of July, and I really enjoyed my time there."

Of course, offensive skill position players are at a premium for the Longhorns in the 2023 class, and Robinson might be at the top at that list at the moment. 

Luckily for Texas, Robinson already has a budding relationship with the top commitment of the 2023 class, Arch Manning who shocked the world with his pledge to the Longhorns on June 23. 

And that, along with the rest of the haul the Longhorns have managed to land over the last few weeks, has been a big deal to Robinson.

"Me and Arch have been pretty close for a while now, so him going there it would be pretty fun to catch with someone like him, and then playing beside a bunch of the guys that they have brought in and are bringing in. It would really challenge me to be the best version of myself, especially surrounding myself with guys like that."

Robinson, who stands 6-6 and weighs in at 225 pounds, could fit a variety of needs for the Longhorns from his tight end spot, whether it be lining up on the line, in the slot, or as an outside receiver in the red zone. 

And as evidenced by his 2021 season, in which he caught 60 passes for 972 yards and eight touchdowns, while also taking snaps as a rusher and even a quarterback at times, he could handle the load. 

"I’ll play whatever they need me to play," Robinson. "I like catching touchdowns. I like catching balls. Whatever way I can do that, whether they want that to be through labeling me as a tight end or labeling me as a receiver. Whatever I can do to best help the team."

Unfortunately for Texas, Robinson is also being highly pursued by a number of top programs, including the USC Trojans, where he recently took an official visit. 

"I would say just all the schools I’m going to take visits to," Robinson said. 'I’m planning on taking all my officials. I already took my USC official, then Texas, Georgia, Alabama, and I think I’m going to take Oregon."

Either way, the Longhorns are still firmly in the race for Arizona native, and he will be keeping a close eye on how things develop in the coming months in Austin.

"I’m really excited to see what coach Sark is going to do this year with a bunch of the guys he has coming in," Robinson added. "He’s got a lot of transfers coming in, so I think they could have a breakout year."

---

You can follow Matt Galatzan on Twitter @MattGalatzan

Want the latest in breaking news and insider information on the Longhorns? Click Here

Want to join in on the discussion? Click here to become a member of the Longhorns Country message board community today!

Follow Longhorns Country on Twitter and Facebook.