Meet Your New Ducks: Mr. Versatility

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Tyrell (#19) and Tyree (#2) Robinson pose for a picture on their official visit.

Oregon’s defense has made quite the name for themselves this season. It’s a very experienced squad headlined by star veterans LB Michael Clay and DE Dion Jordan. They’ve managed to take off some of the attention surrounding its elite offense by holding their opponents to a 25th best 22.0 points per game, along with the 3rd highest turnover margin in the nation — two very impressive stats considering the amount of time the Duck D spends on the field.

They, too, thrive on speed and unique formations and only look to keep this new culture alive through recruiting, as many seniors are soon leaving the program. Well, look no further in Tyrell Robinson. This 4-star, 6′ 3″, 210 lb. linebacker/athlete has been committed to Oregon since he and his brother took their official visit to Autzen on September 22nd for the Arizona game. Oh yes, he has a twin brother, also committed, who is just as good and looks to play receiver (more on Tyree Robinson in my next article).

Tyrell Robinson offered his thoughts on what he’s been improving on and his commitment to the Ducks earlier this fall:

Robinson comes from San Diego, CA and is currently amidst his very successful senior football season for the Lincoln Hornets. His team is in the middle of playoffs and has a divisional championship game this Saturday. Tyrell has had a bit of a coming out party this year as he has climbed up the recruiting ranks to becoming a 4-star prospect, and one of the top athletes in California.

This is in large part to the drastic difference between his junior and senior football season. In 2011, the Lincoln Hornets went 2-10, and Tyrell had a very average season. But as he went to the different combines and camps, he (and his brother) began to turn some heads. Now in 2012, this guy has been a flat out stud. Tyrell has accumulated an impressive 103 tackles, 11 sacks, 2 interceptions, and 7 fumble recoveries. On the offensive side of the ball, he posts just under 300 receiving yards for 3 touchdowns. Heck, he even punted the ball during the first three preseason games.

Check out some of his highlights at both WR and LB:

So what kind of player is he? And what exactly can he do for Oregon?

After seeing that highlight reel one thing should come to mind – versatility. Tyrell Robinson has the speed, size, and natural talent to lineup just about anywhere besides the O-line. That kind of player has always been welcome in the Ducks locker room. Definitely expect him to come in and play linebacker, but if injuries were to arise in the future he could fill in anywhere need be.

As an outside linebacker, however, he offers great speed and athleticism backed by impressive size. Scouts rave about his quick first step off the snap and tremendous tracking ability. Robinson may not be the best candidate to come up and stuff a fullback dive, but he’s the special player who can stick with the speed backs and receivers who look to bounce the ball outside and cut all up and down the field.

This isn’t to say he lacks a certain strength or toughness, but Tyrell is definitely most fit for an outside backer or perhaps the “rover” position we’ve seen under Nick Allioti. An appropriate former Duck comparison, assuming the Oregon coaches beef him up a little bit, would be Spencer Paysinger. Robinson has all the tools to turn into this caliber of a player; it will just take a bit if time, just like it did with Boseko Lokombo, Dion Jordan, etc.

Another exciting skillset this kid brings will bring to Eugene will be demonstrated on the hardwood. That’s right, he plays hoops too. Simply stating he plays basketball does not do his talents justice; he’s rated as a 3-star, sometimes 4-star prospect. During his sophomore and junior years in high school, basketball was actually his main sport.

Tyrell plays a slashing shooting guard who looks to finish at the rim every chance he can get, but will never shy away from shooting the deep ball or the mid-range jumper. An overall solid offensive talent, with the athleticism to keep up on defense, could be just what the Oregon MBB team needs after the graduation of Carlos Emory and E.J. Singler.

Here’s his hoops mixtape. Dana Altman will be happy to have him!

With such a talented veteran defense, especially at the linebacker position, a talent like Tyrell Robinson is just the thing this Duck D needs to keep playing at the same level year in and year out. The defense mirrors the offense in some ways with speed and comprehensive schemes. So just as the offensive side has done in recruiting, it is important to set a precedence of speed and let the nation know “this” is how we play defense.

Be sure to check out Tyrell Robinson’s full recruit page on DuckTerritory.

For the Exciting 2024 Football Season….

We will be publishing between four and six articles per week during the football season, as we skip Saturdays with all the distraction of GameDay for us. Check through the week, and in particular check for Analysis articles on most Fridays.

The Our Beloved Ducks Forum (OBD) is where we we discuss the article above and many more topics, as it is so much easier in a message board format over there.  At the free OBD forum we will be posting Oregon Sports article links, the daily Press Releases from the Athletic Department and the news coming out every day.

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