Oilers shut out Kings to take over 2nd place in Pacific Division

• March 31, 2023

EDMONTON, Alberta — A hot goalie and a generational talent were too much for the Kings to overcome, and that led to a shuffle in the tightly packed Pacific Division standings.

Stuart Skinner made 43 saves and Connor McDavid scored his NHL-leading 61st goal of the season as the Edmonton Oilers beat the Kings, 2-0, on Thursday night for their third straight victory.

McDavid scored his 300th NHL goal, beating Kings goalie Joonas Korpisalo with a wrist shot from the slot on a short-handed breakaway to make it 2-0 at 3:53 of the third period.

He pointed to the Oilers clamping down defensively.

“It is one thing to talk about it, it is another thing to go out there and do it,” said McDavid, who helped Edmonton (97 points) climb over the Kings (96) for second place in the division, two points behind first-place Vegas. “We talk about being defensive and playing hard and I felt you saw that tonight.”

McDavid became the first player in NHL history to have five 10-game point streaks in a season, breaking Wayne Gretzky’s record of four in 1986-87. McDavid also became the fifth player in league history to reach 300 goals and 500 assists before playing 600 career games, following Gretzky, Mario Lemieux, Peter Statsny and Bryan Trottier.

Korpisalo made 35 saves for the Kings, who have lost two in a row after their franchise-record 12-game points streak.

“I thought it was a hell of a game, both teams played really hard and it came down to a bounce or a break or two and they were able to score,” Kings coach Todd McLellan said. “We had some real good looks and we ran into a hot goaltender and didn’t quite get it over the goal line, but I thought it was a heck of a game.”

Skinner recorded his first shutout of the season and second in the NHL, as Edmonton finished 12-2-1 in March.

“I felt pretty good,” Skinner said. “I think confidence grows as the team is doing such a good job in front of me. I think for a full 60 minutes that we just battled hard. Being able to get the two points is massive. We were so hungry to win every battle and I think that was very impressive to watch.”

Related Articles

The only other time Skinner had an NHL shutout was last season against San Jose, but he was sent down to the AHL the following day.

“We’re not going to do the same thing we did last year,” Oilers coach Jay Woodcroft said. “He’s mature beyond his years. He came up with the big save at the right time. That team shoots from everywhere, they’re volume shooters. But had some really good chances late in the third and Stuart was there.”

Evander Kane opened the scoring with 52 seconds left in the first period with his 15th of the season.

UP NEXT

The Kings play at Seattle on Saturday night.

The Oilers host the Ducks on Saturday night.

​ Orange County Register 

Dodgers heat up, beat Diamondbacks in season opener

• March 31, 2023

LOS ANGELES — They went with a cold open.

A rare night start, atmospheric rivers and whatnot combined to make this the chilliest Opening Day in recent memory. The announced game-time temperature of 54 degrees was the coldest (by eight degrees) for a Dodgers home opener in the past 25 years.

But Will Smith kept the home fires burning, driving in four runs – including the Dodgers’ first three of the season – before his teammates warmed up and beat the Arizona Diamondbacks, 8-2, on Thursday night at Dodger Stadium.

Rookie James Outman also hit a two-run home run as the Dodgers won for the 12th time in their past 15 season openers.

“That’s why I feel confident with Will hitting where he does. There’s bat-to-ball. There’s slug in there. He knows how to drive in a run,” Dodgers manager Dave Roberts said of Smith, who has replaced Trea Turner (a 100-RBI man last year) as the No. 3 hitter in the lineup.

“He understands his main job is to be a servant to the pitchers – which he does a very good job of that. But the bat plays. He’s one of the top few hitting catchers in baseball. To be able to plug him in at the top of our lineup says something about the player.”

The Dodgers spotted the Diamondbacks a 2-0 headstart as Julio Urias gave up three hits and hit a batter in the first six he faced.

Nick Ahmed led off the second inning with a double and should have taken a picture of second base to show his teammates. No other Diamondback got there safely the rest of the night against Urias or three relievers (Phil Bickford, Shelby Miller and Yency Almonte).

“I made a couple adjustments. I felt like myself a little bit more after those first couple innings,” Urias said through an interpreter. “The first two innings, I was cutting the fastball a little too much. I was able to make the adjustments and pitched better over the last few innings.”

Urias retired 13 of 15 after Ahmed’s double. The only baserunners came on an error by shortstop Miguel Rojas in the second inning – a double play followed on the next batter – and a single by Ketel Marte in the sixth. Marte was thrown out by Mookie Betts when he tried to stretch it into a double.

“I think he just synced up his body a little bit,” Smith said of Urias. “His stuff just seemed a little crisper. He got more comfortable out there.”

Smith had a double in his first at-bat but didn’t start chipping away at the Diamondbacks’ lead until the third inning. Outman led off with a walk and went to third when Rojas punched a ground-rule double down the right field line.

Betts and Freddie Freeman couldn’t advance the runners but Smith drove them both in with a two-out, two-strike single to right field.

“Those two-out hits, he’s really close to getting out of it with a zero,” Smith said. “Those really kill you as a pitcher.”

In the fifth, Betts walked and Freeman singled to put runners at the corners for Smith. This time, he parachuted a 60.8 mph bloop single into right field, driving in the go-ahead run. J.D. Martinez and David Peralta added RBI singles as the Dodgers drove Diamondbacks starter Zac Gallen from the game.

Miguel Vargas led off the sixth with his second walk of the game – a throwback to the early days of spring when Vargas wasn’t allowed to swing the bat in games (due to a hairline fracture in his pinkie) and yet was walked repeatedly.

Related Articles

Outman followed and worked the count full against Diamondbacks reliever Cole Sulser then drove a fastball over the wall in left-center field. Outman homered in his first major-league game at Coors Field last year and added a home run in his first game at Dodger Stadium (his big-league cameo last year was all on the road).

“Definitely at the beginning,” Outman said when asked if he had any nerves on his first Opening Day in the big leagues. “I couldn’t stand still when they were doing all the announcements (pre-game introductions). But once the game started, I settled in.”

Outman reached base for a third time on a leadoff single in the eighth and scored his third run of the game on a sacrifice fly by Smith.

The first game under the new pitch clock rules came in at 2 hours, 35 minutes – despite featuring 10 runs on 16 combined hits with three mid-inning pitching changes and a long conference between home plate umpire Marvin Hudson and Diamondbacks manager Torey Luvollo after Hudson assessed a Diamondbacks reliever with a quick-pitch violation.

“It’s great,” Roberts said of the new pace-of-play rules. “That was front of mind actually. Looking at the game and, man, we played 2:35 tonight. Last year it was probably 3:35.”

TIE GAME! @will_smith30 knocks in a pair with a single, 2-2. pic.twitter.com/oBd7uh5i5C

— SportsNet LA (@SportsNetLA) March 31, 2023

First RBI as a Dodger for @JDMartinez28. pic.twitter.com/ovCOcRpCwS

— SportsNet LA (@SportsNetLA) March 31, 2023

When will they learn.

You don’t run on Mookie. pic.twitter.com/COsxJSuoNL

— SportsNet LA (@SportsNetLA) March 31, 2023

JAMES OUTMAN ! pic.twitter.com/zbTO1fJZPK

— SportsNet LA (@SportsNetLA) March 31, 2023

​ Orange County Register 

Angels’ bats, bullpen fail to support Shohei Ohtani in season-opening loss

• March 31, 2023

OAKLAND — On a night when Shohei Ohtani had a brilliant start, Mike Trout was unlucky at the plate and Hunter Renfroe was lucky in right field, the game ended up being decided by Aaron Loup.

And the veteran lefty had a simple summation for his performance in the Angels’ 2-1 loss to the Oakland A’s in the season opener on Thursday night.

“Embarrassing, honestly,” Loup said. “Probably the most embarrassing outing of my career for me. … I was out there pitching scared. … It is what it is. Game 1. Long season.”

Loup wouldn’t elaborate on what he meant by “pitching scared,” but he assured that it “definitely won’t” happen again.

His belt-high 0-and-2 curveball to left-handed hitting Tony Kemp wound up bouncing off the fence for a game-tying double in the eighth. The go-ahead run then scored on a single by Aledmys Diaz against reliever Ryan Tepera.

That eighth-inning hiccup was enough to send the Angels to their ninth Opening Day loss in the last 10 years, leaving Ohtani without a victory on a night when he pitched six scoreless innings, striking out 10.

Ohtani recorded two of his strikeouts after allowing his only two hits, a fourth-inning single and double that put runners at second and third with one out in a scoreless game. He got Jesus Aguilar on a splitter and then whiffed Ramon Laureano on a 100-mph fastball.

“He went from dominant to unhittable,” Trout marveled.

Ohtani started off a little shaky in the first, but then he settled into a groove and had little trouble with the A’s. He was saved from a leadoff extra-base hit in the fifth on a remarkable catch by Renfroe in right field.

Jace Peterson hit a line drive and Renfroe said the wind took over. He ended up turned the wrong way, and he stabbed his glove out behind him, with the ball sticking in it. He said he never saw the ball go into his glove.

“We mess around in BP all the time making trick catches and doing stuff like that,” Renfroe said. “Sometimes you’ve got to use it when the ball is doing crazy stuff in the outfield and the wind is pushing it different directions. I’m glad I caught it. It’s not how you draw it up, but it is what it is.”

Trout, watching from center field, could only laugh at what his teammate did.

“I’ve never seen anything like that,” Trout said.

Renfroe’s catch and Ohtani’s outing all might have come in a victory, despite Loup’s performance, if the Angels’ much-improved offense had not started the season with such a disappointing performance.

Facing rookie left-hander Kyle Muller for the first five innings, the Angels managed just five hits. Their only run was on a Logan O’Hoppe RBI single in the fifth.

Related Articles

The Angels’ best at-bats were Trout’s, and none of them were hits. In the first inning, his 108 mph line drive was caught by diving center fielder Esteury Ruiz. In the sixth, he hit a ball 104 mph and it was caught by left fielder Seth Brown with his back against the fence. In the eighth, Trout hit a 106 mph line drive that Brown caught.

“That’s baseball for you,” said Trout, who also walked. “Just have good at-bats. Put the barrel on it. If they get caught, they get caught. I felt really good out there today.”

Otherwise, the Angels went quietly, a disappointing start for a team that boasted its deepest lineup in years. The Angels’ primary problem last year was a failure to produce offensively, but no one expects that to be an issue this year unless the lineup is again ravaged by injuries. On this night they had all the players they wanted in the lineup, but they still couldn’t score.

“We’re going to score runs,” Manager Phil Nevin said. “I’m not worried about that. Just Opening Night. Baseball gets weird sometimes. We’re gonna swing the bats. We’re gonna score a lot of runs.”

​ Orange County Register 

UCLA gymnastics into NCAA regional finals after record performance

• March 31, 2023

LOS ANGELES — Senior Margzetta Frazier reached up to place the “UCLA” sticker on the massive print-out of the NCAA gymnastics bracket, then got a minute-long hug from teammate Jordan Chiles afterward. The moment officially signified the Bruins’ record-setting score of 198.275, which won the second semifinal of the Los Angeles Regional on Thursday night and sent them to the finals.

The Bruins posted season-best scores in vault and balance beam and finished with the program’s best NCAA postseason score ever, matching their season-high and surpassing 198 points for the third time this season. To the No. 4 national seed and top-seeded team in the regional, it feels normal.

“We were sitting there on the floor getting our awards and I said, ‘I forgot we were at regionals,’” Frazier said. “It just felt like another competition and we just did exactly what we trained for. Like, this is postseason and we’re getting 198s. That’s a big deal.”

UCLA returns to Pauley Pavilion on Saturday at 5 p.m. for the regional finals. Utah (198.125) and Washington (196.775), the top two finishers from Thursday’s first session, will also compete, along with Missouri, which finished second in the late session with a 197.400.

The top two teams from Saturday’s meet advance to the NCAA Championships on April 13-15 in Fort Worth, Texas. The top individual event finishers and the best all-around competitor who is not on a qualifying team will also advance.

The Bruins are vying for their first appearance as a team in the NCAA championships since 2019 (there were no 2020 championships due to the COVID-19 pandemic).

Brooklyn Moors added to Thursday’s excitement by making competitive debuts in floor exercise and on vault. She scored a 9.925 and 9.85, respectively, and had performed exhibition routines in both events as an alternate earlier this season after working back from a preseason injury.

“It felt fantastic,” Moors said. “I’ve been working so hard to recover and get my skills back and I’ve been supporting the team as much as I can on the sidelines but it felt good today to do it on the floor.”

UCLA’s Jordan Chiles won the all-around with a 39.750 on Thursday, followed by Selena Harris at 39.650. Chiles also took first in the uneven bars (9.975) and the floor exercise (9.95), while Harris tied for the top score on the balance beam (9.975) with teammate Emma Malabuyo.

The Bruins started the evening with a season-best 49.675 on the balance beam, the fourth-best score in the event in program history. Freshmen Selena Harris (9.975) and Ciena Alipio (9.925) both turned in season-bests in the event.

Brooklyn Moors subbed in for Malabuyo on floor exercise and the Bruins hit 49.500 to lead all teams after two rotations. UCLA then posted another season-high event score on the vault (49.575), the sixth-highest event score in program history.

Frazier reached her first 9.900 mark of the season in vault, up from her previous best of 9.825 that she recorded in mid-February. The 9.900 is also a career-high, and she did it in a pair of wrist guards borrowed from teammate Kalyany Steele.

“I’m so tickled that it was vault,” Frazier said. “First of all, I left my wrist guards at the gym and I said, Kaly, do you have your wrist guards? So I got my season high because I used Kaly’s wrist guards.”

Related Articles

Frazier has been dealing with minor nagging injuries throughout the season that have limited her in practice. She said that lately she’s been participating in full workouts and feeling good physically, which paid off in Thursday’s meet.

“Margz really set the tone on vault,” Coach Janelle McDonald said. “Being so dynamic and having such a clean landing, I think it really fired the team up to go after it and attack it.”

The Bruins ended the night on the bars with a score of 49.525. Chae Campbell and Emily Lee started with matching scores of 9.850, and Ana Padurariu added a 9.900, her fifth consecutive score of 9.900 or higher on the event. Harris added a 9.875, Frazier a 9.925, and Chiles closed it out with her 14th 9.975 of the season. The Bruins finished nearly nine-tenths ahead of Missouri, which edged Stanford for second place after scoring 49.475 on the balance beam.

The Bruins will look to remain poised on Saturday as they look to punch their ticket for a spot in Fort Worth.

“I don’t think anyone thought about Day 2 once while we were here today,” Frazier said. “We’re just taking it one day at a time and treating it like practice. We’re just gonna do that one more time, two more times or three more times.”

​ Orange County Register 

Mi Hyang Lee fires a 65 for first-round lead at LPGA’s LA Open

• March 31, 2023

PALOS VERDES ESTATES — Mi Hyang Lee shot a 6-under-par 65 in her first LPGA Tour event of the year for a one-stroke lead in the opening round of the DIO Implant LA Open on Thursday at Palos Verdes Golf Club.

Lee, a 30-year-old South Korean who has slipped to 378th in the world, played bogey-free and closed with a birdie on the par-4 18th hole on a chilly day on the Palos Verdes Peninsula.

Lee has two career LPGA Tour victories, the more recent at the Ladies Scottish Open in 2017. She was runner-up at the ANA Inspiration, a major, in 2019 to reach a career-best 31st in the rankings but has struggled the past three years.

Megan Khang and Hyo Joo Kim each shot 66. Nasa Hataoka, Lucy Li and Maude-Aimee LeBlanc were another shot behind.

Second-ranked Nelly Korda and her sister, Jessica, were among the group at 3 under.

This is the fifth playing of the LA Open and the first at Palos Verdes, which hosted a different event, the Palos Verdes Championship, last year – won by Marina Alex, who shot a 1-over 72 on Thursday.

Related Articles

​ Orange County Register 

Gunman convicted of manslaughter in slur-filled spat at Westminster motel

• March 31, 2023

A gunman was convicted of manslaughter on Thursday, March 30, for killing a transient who was apparently yelling racial slurs at him while holding a baseball bat at a Westminster motel.

An Orange County Superior Court jury found Jonathan Breon Dunlap, 34, guilty of voluntary manslaughter, rather than of a more serious charge of murder, for the Dec. 2, 2017, slaying of John Nondorf, 37, at a Motel 6 in the 13100 block of Goldenwest Street.

That Dunlap, a Black man who had arrived at the motel from a party and was inebriated, had shot Nondorf in the face following a confrontation outside Nondorf’s motel room was not disputed.

Nondorf was a White transient who usually lived out of his Toyota RAV4 with his fiancée.

Two surveillance cameras captured the shooting but not a clear view of Nondorf’s actions just before he was killed. That left attorneys, during closing arguments this week in a Santa Ana courtroom, arguing over whether Nondorf was retreating into his room when he was shot, as the prosecution contended, or if he was charging at Dunlap while wielding the bat, as the defense countered.

The confrontation appeared to begin with Nondorf ordering Dunlap to get away from his car. Surveillance footage shows Dunlap near Nondorf’s SUV as he walks through the parking lot; he may have accidentally bumped it.

A woman staying at the motel said Nondorf said,”Stay away from my car,” with Dunlap answering, “My bad.”

Nondorf’s fiancée, however, testified that Dunlap responded by saying, “(Expletive) your car!”

Both women agreed that Nondorf used racial slurs including the “n word” during the ensuing argument. Nondorf’s fiancée said both sides used slurs, including Dunlap calling Nondorf a “cracker.”

Nondorf briefly went back into his motel room, then returned outside with a child’s-size baseball bat.

Witnesses say a friend of Dunlap’s took a gun out of the backseat of her car and handed the weapon to Dunlap, or he grabbed it.

Dunlap and several friends were just outside the door to Nondorf’s motel room, while Nondorf was apparently just inside at this point, out of the cameras’ view.

Senior Deputy District Attorney Janine Madera told jurors that Dunlap punched Nondorf in the face before shooting him. She denied that Nondorf was still acting aggressive when shot.

“He was outnumbered four to one and knew they had a gun,” Madera said. “He understood he brought a peewee bat to a gunfight, and he wanted out. … You can’t kill someone for saying something you don’t like, even if we can all agree it was offensive.”

Dunlap’s attorney, Cameron Talley, re-enacted for jurors what he argued were the final moments of the confrontation, holding the blood-stained bat: Talley told jurors that by grabbing the bat Nondorf had introduced the potential for lethal force, and argued that Dunlap didn’t shoot until Nondorf “rushed” at him.

The defense attorney said Nondorf could have simply closed his door and denied that Dunlap punched him.

“Mr. Nondorf is dead today because of his own actions,” Talley said. “This case is about a bigot who is angry and started this altercation.”

Dunlap faces up to 44 years to life in prison.

Related Articles

​ Orange County Register 

WWE’s WrestleMania 39 takes center stage in Southern California

• March 31, 2023

LOS ANGELES — Professional wrestling has taken over Southern California, installing Inglewood as its temporary headquarters leading up to the WWE’s WrestleMania 39 event this weekend.

WrestleMania serves as the main attraction, but the company has built a whole week of events around its biggest annual event of the calendar year.

“It’s not just WrestleMania, which will be two spectacular nights but it will be a week-long event,” said Bianca Belair, the RAW Women’s Champion. “It’s going to be super fun and fans from all over the world have already made plans to come and attend the events. I’m just excited to be a part of it.”

The big event will take place at SoFi Stadium on April 1-2.

Crypto.com Arena will host three events, including Smackdown (March 31), NXT Stand and Deliver (April 1) and RAW (April 3).

RAW, Smackdown and NXT make up WWE’s weekly television programming each week.

“Los Angeles will see something special,” said WWE Global Ambassador and performer Titus O’Neil. “We take the Super Bowl and we magnify that by about five or 10 times with the pyro, the production value and everything in between.”

Undisputed WWE Universal Champion Roman Reigns will defend his title against Cody Rhodes in the main event match on April 2.

Both men share a common bond as sons of former pro wrestlers. Cody Rhodes is the son of “The American Dream” Dusty Rhodes. Sika, one half of “The Wild Samoans” tag team in the 1980s, is the father of Reigns.

WWE announced that WrestleMania 39 had already set the event’s all-time gate record in January before a match was announced. The gross amount is more than $18 million. The company’s previous mark of $17.3 million was set in 2016 for WrestleMania 32 held AT&T Stadium in Arlington, Texas.

The $5 billion, 70,000-seat sports and entertainment stadium was originally scheduled to host WrestleMania 37 in March 2021 but was rescheduled for 2023 as a result of the pandemic.

It will be the first time WrestleMania has returned to Southern California since 2005, when the event attracted a crowd of 20,193 people and set a Staples Center attendance record at the time.

The main event featured Paul “Triple H” Levesque, the current head of creative at WWE, and Batista, who is known outside of WWE for his role as Drax from the Marvel Studios’ Guardians of the Galaxy series.

Related Articles

“This city is no stranger to bright lights but it is somewhat of a stranger when it comes to WrestleMania,” O’Neil said. “We’re excited to be able to come here and the new stadium is amazing. … We’re going to leave a lasting impact not only inside the ring but outside of the ring.”

O’Neil added that WrestleMania 38 taking place at AT&T Stadium generated more than $201 million in economic impact last year.

The company’s future has been a topic of discussion in recent months. WWE founder Vince McMahon is looking to sale WWE for $9 billion, according to a report from Bloomberg. McMahon briefly stepped down as executive chairman of the company in 2022 but was reinstated in January after paying millions to settle claims of sexual misconduct.

The in-ring action begins Friday with WWE Smackdown, followed by the WWE Hall of Fame Ceremony.

Rey Mysterio will headline the 2023 class that includes The Great Muta, Stacy Keibler, former referee Tim White and entertainer Andy Kaufman, the latter two being inducted posthumously.

Mysterio, who remains an active competitor for the company, is widely considered one of the greatest luchadors in pro wrestling history. The San Diego native started his career in Mexico at the age of 14 in 1989.

Mysterio has spent 17 years with WWE and was an integral part of the Smackdown brand during the 2000s along with hall of famers such as Eddie Guerrero, Edge and Kurt Angle.

Rey’s son Dominik participated in a storyline in late 2005 that featured Guerrero and Mysterio.

Dominik has since gone on to follow in his father’s footsteps and became a wrestler, appearing again on WWE programming in 2020.

“There’s a ton of pressure,” Dominik said about joining the company. “Those are gigantic shoes to fill and I do what I can and try to give the people what they want.”

Rey and Dominik will compete against one another this weekend.

Bron Breakker and Carmelo Hayes will main event NXT’s Stand and Deliver Show on the morning of April 1.

The first night of WrestleMania will feature the United States Championship match between defending champion Austin Theory and John Cena.

Cena has returned from the silver screen for another stint with the company and adds a mainstream element to the card. Cena has been one of WWE’s top stars and won his first world championship in 2005 at WrestleMania 21.

Former UFC stars Brock Lesnar, Rhonda Rousey and social media personality Logan Paul are scheduled to compete on the show. Rapper Snoop Dogg will also make an appearance.

Rousey will be one of eight women coming in the WrestleMania Showcase match on Night 2.

“I’m so excited,” Raquel Rodriguez said. “This is the first year that I’ve had an opportunity to be on the card for WrestleMania and to have it here in Los Angeles gives me goosebumps.”

Rodriguez will team up with Liv Morgan as one of four teams in that women’s showcase.

Related links

Photos: WWE stars enjoy day with veterans, kids in advance of Wrestlemania in Inglewood
Cody Rhodes ready to take his place in WWE WrestleMania spotlight in Inglewood
5 things to know about SoFi Stadium, the home of Super Bowl LVI
WrestleMania 39: Bianca Belair prepares for title defense against Asuka
Ontario’s Sol Ruca is the NXT woman up in WWE

The “post-Mania” episode of RAW is one of the most anticipated shows of the year because of its rowdy crowd and the likelihood of a surprise return or addition to the roster.

Outside of the ring, several other pro-wrestling-related events will take place throughout the area.

The WrestleMania Superstore opened Thursday and will remain open until Monday at the L.A. Convention Center.

WWE alumni Bret Hart, Ric Flair and Bryan Danielson will be among the notable names making an appearance at WrestleCon. The convention will be held at the Biltmore Millennium Hotel in downtown L.A. on March 31 to April 2.

The Undertaker will make an appearance at The Novo on Friday, after the Hall of Fame ceremony, during his one-man show. The 2022 WWE Hall of Fame inductee will share stories and experiences from a career that spanned over three decades. He’s competed in 27 WrestleMania matches throughout his tenure with the company.

HOW TO WATCH:

WrestleMania 39

When: April 1-2, 5 p.m. PT

Where: SoFi Stadium

TV: Peacock (streaming service)

​ Orange County Register 

Duce Robinson, the top TE recruit in nation, commits to USC

• March 31, 2023

USC made a big recruiting splash, and filled one of its biggest needs for the coming season, on Thursday.

Duce Robinson, the top tight end prospect in the country, committed to the Trojans on Thursday evening, announcing his decision on Instagram. Robinson chose USC over Georgia, Alabama, Texas and Oregon.

The 6-foot-6, 225-pound Robinson caught 84 passes for 1,614 yards and 14 touchdowns as a senior at Pinnacle High in Phoenix. He averaged 19.2 yards per reception, won jump balls through sheer strength and usually shed tacklers like he was playing against middle schoolers.

Beyond his receiving abilities, he has the frame and technique to be a strong blocker.

Rated the No. 1 tight end and No. 17 overall recruit in the 2023 class according to 247Sports.com, Robinson was a big, late addition to USC’s recruiting class. The Trojans overtook Oregon for the top high school class in the Pac-12, according to Rivals.com.

Recruiting wins can sometimes have more of a long-term impact than they do initially. But Robinson fills an immediate need at USC, which is shorthanded at tight end during its spring camp.

Senior Malcolm Epps transferred from the program last week. Returning starter Lake McRee has impressed head coach Lincoln Riley at camp. Jude Wolfe is still sorting through an injury. Carson Tabaracci has moved from linebacker to tight end to provide depth, and freshman Kade Eldridge rounds out the position room.

Riley was asked how he felt about depth at the position on Tuesday.

“Right now today? Not good,” he responded before praising McRee’s growth this spring. He then added about depth, “It’s going to be good, it’s just currently at this moment right now, not very good.”

Robinson will have some catching up to do in terms of learning the offense when he arrives, but he has the physical gifts to compete for playing time early in his career.

Robinson is also known as a talented baseball player, with the possibility of being an MLB draft pick this coming July. He has stated his desire to play both professional football and baseball.

​ Orange County Register