TALLAHASSEE, Fla. (AP) — Duce Robinson could have left Florida State after a 1,000-yard season. He also felt like he couldn’t leave after a 5-7 season.
Just a few hours into the new year, the All-Atlantic Coast Conference first-team receiver made his announcement: After flirting with entering the NFL draft early, Robinson would come back to help the Seminoles continue their rebuild in 2026. On Friday, Robinson went into detail about his reasoning.
“We have the opportunity to do something really special,” Robinson said. “I didn’t want to leave having the season we had last year. It felt unfair to the fans because they’ve given me so much, and so I just want to try to give them something in return.
“I had a pretty successful season last year, if we just look at it, but my success isn’t a reflection of the team’s success.”
Florida State’s chances of success next season are better with Robinson, who had 56 catches for 1,081 yards and six touchdowns as a junior in 2025, back in the mix. Retaining Robinson for another year was the biggest move that coach Mike Norvell could have made in an offseason where more than 35 players announced their intentions to enter the transfer portal.
In an effort to replenish talent, Robinson met with three transfer quarterback visitors — DJ Lagway, Anthony Colandrea and Ashton Daniels — as he played the role of recruiter. Daniels arrives from Auburn, where he played four games in 2025, and the Seminoles will also have five new offensive line starters as the 2025 group has all exhausted their eligibility. Robinson will lead a receiving corps that also features deep threat Micahi Danzy and slot Jayvan Boggs.
The plan on defense was slower to take shape but has become evident in recent days. Twins Mandrell Desir and Darryll Desir announced their return on Thursday and strengthen the defensive front, reversing course after testing the transfer portal waters. Defensive tackle Kevin Wynn did the same before returning, and Florida State landed commitments from transfer linebackers Chris Jones (Southern Miss) and Mikai Gbayor (North Carolina) on Thursday. Florida State also retained its top cornerback, Ja’Bril Rawls, after a flirtation with the transfer portal.
Norvell is 38-34 in six seasons at Florida State, but that includes a 2-10 mark in 2024 and a 5-7 season last fall. He needs Robinson and the incoming transfers to make an immediate impact in 2026.
In an offseason of change across college football, Florida State could have the largest roster turnover in the Atlantic Coast Conference. The school has announced 13 transfer signees, with more still to come, and the Seminoles also signed 32 high school or junior college prospects in December.
Robinson transferred to Florida State from Southern California a year ago. He understands that players decide to move and says it’s the nature of the sport.
“I will never fault a guy for looking for a new opportunity or looking for a better opportunity,” Robinson said. “I was a product of the transfer portal. And it worked out for me. Coming to Florida State was the best decision I could have ever made.”
After contemplating his stay-or-go decision, Robinson said he evaluated where he could improve and weighed input he received from Florida State’s coaches.
“There’s a lot of areas I have to clean up in my game, especially if I want to get where I want to go,” Robinson said. “Two of my biggest things are just going to be getting in and out of every route, showing that I’m able to run every route in the books. And then also without the ball in my hands, what am I doing? Because that’s just as important as when I do have the ball in my hands.
“I’m really excited to be able to work on that this offseason. I’m going to make sure it shows up next year.”
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Bob Ferrante, The Associated Press
