Arizona, Arizona State, Georgia, Missouri, Notre Dame, Ohio State, Oklahoma, Stanford, Tennessee, Texas A&M, UCLA, USC, Utah and Washington are just a handful of the quality programs that offered scholarships to blue-chip twin brothers Tyree and Tyrell Robinson. They are now both proud Ducks.
Redshirt freshman defensive back Tyree Robinson (No. 2)
Tyree redshirted last season, his first in the program after graduating in 2013 from Lincoln High School in San Diego. Tyrell is also on the football team but gave up his redshirt making a couple of appearances on the field last season, one of only six true freshman to do so for the Ducks. The brothers are setting themselves up to become a devastating dynamic duo on defense, as they grow within the program. Many expect them to develop into possibly the best sibling teammates Oregon football has ever seen. [Ed. note: Let’s hope the Amoako twins take note and decide to challenge that notion — a ‘win-win,’ as they say.]
Tyree stands 6-4, 200 lbs. and plays defensive back, while Tyrell comes in at the same 6-4 but weighs in 17 pounds heavier in order to play the linebacker slot. Oregon football is not your ordinary, garden variety of American football. It is a brand that is played at high intensity and fast pace.
In this style, players benefit when they bring in elite-level skills from other sports. In the case of the Robinsons, both were very successful two-sport athletes in high school and could have pursued either football or basketball in college. Although they did not continue their basketball careers at the college level, their football careers have clearly benefited from the speed, hand-eye coordination and quickness that basketball helped refine.
When asked by the “Daily Emerald” how much each sport helps the other, Tyrell said, “I feel like basketball helps me and my brother out a lot, especially for me playing linebacker and my defensive stance. Just sliding across the floor, picking your feet up and jumping and just being an athlete. When I carry it out here to the football field, there’s some stuff I can do that some football players can’t.”
Sophomore linebacker Tyrell Robinson (No. 19)
The twins, while young, have without a doubt fit well into Oregon’s frenetically-paced game. Their superior athletic abilities match well with Oregon’s expectations of what attributes their recruits should possess. To wit: Tyrell played as a true freshman, and in this month’s spring practice it has been reported that Tyree has spent a lot of time playing with the ‘Ones.’
These two should be dominating pieces in the Ducks’ defensive scheme for years to come. Watching the Robinsons fulfill their respective potentials — as playmakers befitting the “Batman and Robin”-aura – will be a treat!
Top photo by Kevin Cline
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Alex Legarza is a junior at the University of Oregon studying business and media studies. Born and raised in San Francisco, Alex has fallen in love with Bay Area Sports and now the Ducks. She has a devoted passion to sports, growing up playing basketball, volleyball, and soccer and continuing to play basketball and volleyball at the high school varsity level. There is nothing Alex loves more than watching her favorite teams perform or actively playing sports herself. When she is not involved in sports, Alex likes to lead an active lifestyle with traveling and spending time with family and friends. After college Alex is looking to pursue a career in the sports industry.