The Phenomenon of Denard Robinson: From Untied Laces to NCAA Legend

Denard Xavier Robinson, born on September 22, 1990, is more than just a former American football player; he’s a legend. His story, both on and off the field, is one of remarkable talent, perseverance, and unforgettable moments. From his days as a record-breaking quarterback at the University of Michigan to his transition to the NFL and his eventual return to his alma mater as a coach, Robinson has left an indelible mark on the world of football.

The story of Denard Robinson at Michigan can be embodied entirely in only four games. When you hear the stories behind these games, everything else Denard Robinson does makes a ton of sense.

Early Life and High School Career

Robinson's journey began long before the roar of the Big House. Growing up, he started playing football at the age of 10, and a peculiar habit quickly became his trademark: untied shoes. Despite the efforts of coaches and parents to keep his laces fastened, Denard felt most comfortable playing with them undone. This seemingly insignificant detail became a symbol of his unique style and uncontainable speed.

As a freshman, Robinson tried out for the varsity football team at Deerfield Beach High School in Florida. He wanted to play defensive back. His coach, Manny Martin, said Denard always believed he could do it. He became the starting quarterback for the varsity team as a sophomore, holding the position for three years (2006-2008).

In 2007, Denard led his team in a close game against Miami Northwestern, the top-ranked high school team in the country. In October 2008, Robinson had an amazing game against St. Thomas Aquinas High School. He was involved in six touchdowns, passing for 342 yards and five touchdowns while also rushing for 54 yards and one touchdown.

Robinson also showcased his athletic prowess on the track, running the 100 meters sprint in 10.44 seconds in 2009.

Collegiate Career at the University of Michigan

In 2009, Denard Robinson arrived at the University of Michigan, ready to compete for the starting quarterback role.

The 2009 Season: A Glimpse of Things to Come

On September 5, 2009, Robinson scored a touchdown on his very first play in college. He ran 43 yards for the score. In a game against Iowa, Robinson came into the game when Michigan was behind. He led a scoring drive that ended with his own touchdown run. He also threw his first two college touchdown passes against Delaware State. For the 2009 season, Robinson passed for 188 yards and two touchdowns.

He also joined the Michigan track team in 2010, winning the 60-meter dash in his first college track event. He finished fifth in another race and ninth at the Big Ten Indoor Championships.

The 2010 Season: A Record-Breaking Year

Robinson started Michigan's first game against Connecticut. He rushed for 131 yards in the first half and finished the game with 383 total yards, setting a new Michigan record. In his second game, Robinson led Michigan to a 28-24 win over Notre Dame. He gained 502 total yards, breaking his own record. He had an 87-yard touchdown run, which was the longest run by a visiting player at Notre Dame Stadium.

Robinson became the ninth quarterback in NCAA history to rush and pass for over 200 yards in a single game. Against Indiana, Robinson had 494 total yards, passing for 277 yards and three touchdowns, and rushing for 217 yards. He scored a 72-yard touchdown run early in the game. Robinson became the first player in college football history to have two games with over 200 yards rushing and 200 yards passing.

After a great start, Michigan lost three games in a row. Robinson threw three interceptions against Michigan State and was limited in rushing yards. Despite a loss to Penn State, Robinson played well, rushing for 191 yards and passing for 190 yards. In a high-scoring game against Illinois, Robinson passed for a career-high 302 yards and ran for 62 yards, throwing a 75-yard touchdown pass on the first play. Michigan won the game 67-65.

Michigan lost its last two regular season games to Wisconsin and Ohio State and finished the 2010 season with a loss to Mississippi State in the 2011 Gator Bowl.

Robinson finished the 2010 season with 1,702 rushing yards, a record for a quarterback until 2012. He also passed for 2,570 yards. He received the Chicago Tribune Silver Football trophy as the Most Valuable Player in the Big Ten Conference and was named Big Ten Offensive Player of the Year. He was also selected as a first-team All-American.

In 2010, during his second year of college, Robinson set a record for rushing yards by a quarterback. He became the only player in National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) history to both pass and rush for 1,500 yards in a season. He also broke a Big Ten Conference record with 4,272 total yards.

The 2011 Season: Leading the Wolverines to Glory

For the 2011 season, Robinson was on watchlists for many awards. The media wondered how he would do with a new offensive coach. The new coach, Al Borges, was known for a different style of play. After his coach left, there was talk that Robinson might transfer, but he decided to stay at Michigan.

In the next game against Notre Dame, Robinson had a fantastic performance, passing for 338 yards and four touchdowns, and rushing for 108 yards and a touchdown. He threw the game-winning touchdown pass with only two seconds left. Against Eastern Michigan, Robinson rushed for 198 yards and continued to play well, gaining 200 rushing yards against San Diego State. Against Northwestern, Robinson had 454 total yards.

Michigan lost to Michigan State. In a victory over Nebraska, Robinson had two rushing and two passing touchdowns. Against Ohio State, Robinson had a five-touchdown game. He became the fourth player in NCAA history to have two seasons with over 2,000 passing yards and 1,000 rushing yards.

Robinson was named second-team All-Conference by the media. In 2011, Robinson helped Michigan have a great season, winning 11 games and the 2012 Sugar Bowl. He threw for a lot of yards in a comeback win against Notre Dame.

The 2012 Season: A Final Chapter

After a tough loss to Alabama, Robinson played great against Air Force, with 426 total yards, including 208 passing and 218 rushing yards. He scored two rushing and two passing touchdowns and became the first NCAA athlete to rush and pass for 200 yards in three different games. Against UMass, Robinson had 397 total yards in three quarters, passing for 291 yards and three touchdowns.

On October 7, Robinson rushed for 235 yards against Purdue, making him the Big Ten career leader in rushing yards by a quarterback. He also tied a Michigan school record with his fifth career 200-yard rushing game. Robinson suffered an elbow injury later in the season. He returned for the last home game, playing as a running back and wide receiver. In his final regular season game against Ohio State, Robinson rushed for 122 yards, including a 67-yard touchdown run. He was an honorable mention for the All-Big Ten team.

In 2012, his final year, he continued to set records.

Defining Moments: Four Games That Tell the Story

While statistics paint a picture of Robinson's accomplishments, certain games encapsulate his essence:

September 5, 2009 vs. Western Michigan: Robinson's first college play. He had lost the camp battle to fellow freshman Tate Forcier, and was relegated to more of a change of pace or wildcat quarterback. About 11 minutes into the game, he checked in and took his first snap as a Wolverine. On his first play, Robinson fumbled the snap, picked it up, slipped a tackle, juked out multiple Western Michigan defenders without even touching them, and outran everyone for a 43 yard touchdown. His final stats for that game: 2/4 for 18 yards, 11 rushes for 74 yards and a touchdown. Denard Robinson was here.
September 4, 2010 vs. Notre Dame: The program’s first ever night game. It wasn’t pretty at first. By the end of the third quarter, the Irish jumped out to a 24-7 lead. On the first play of the fourth, Robinson scooped up a fumble and took it in from one yard out to cut it to 24-14. A little over four minutes later, Robinson hit Jeremy Gallon for a 14 yard touchdown. 24-21. Finally, with 1:12 to play, Robinson completed the comeback. A screen pass to Vincent Smith resulted in a 21 yard touchdown. 28-24. But they left just a little too much time on the clock. All it took was four plays, and Notre Dame was back on top, 31-28, with only 30 seconds left. After an incompletion, Robinson was out of the pocket on the run and threw a dart to Gallon who took it 64 yards before stepping out of bounds with 8 seconds left on Notre Dame’s 16. Robinson then found Roy Roundtree for the touchdown with 2 seconds left. The desperation lateral failed. 35-31 final. To this day, it’s the latest Notre Dame has ever lost a football game. His final stats for that game: 11/24 for 338 yards, 4 touchdowns, 3 interceptions, 16 rushes for 106 yards and a touchdown. Denard Robinson was legit.
November 26, 2011 vs. Ohio State: While Denard Robinson was, well, we’ll just say not known for his accuracy, today he was laser accurate. He’d have more touchdowns than incompletions. In the first half, he’d have a passing touchdown along with two rushing touchdowns. The problem was that both quarterbacks were playing on freshman mode, Braxton Miller kept up pace with Robinson, and Ohio State would take a 24-23 lead to the locker room. No matter. Robinson would pass for two more touchdowns in the second half, and with less than a minute to go, Miller finally blinked. Courtney Avery picked off a Miller pass, and Michigan had won The Game. This game is still the last time Michigan has beaten Ohio State. His final stats for that game: 14/17 for 167 yards, 3 touchdowns, 26 carries for 170 yards and 2 touchdowns. Denard Robinson was a hero.
January 3, 2012 vs. Virginia Tech (Sugar Bowl): His stats on paper are subpar (barely completing a third of his passes, 1.0 YPC, etc), but due to a pair of passing touchdowns to Junior Hemingway, they couldn’t win without him. In overtime, the ball was taken out of his hands on three consecutive plays, and Brendon Gibbons’ 37 yard field goal was good. Michigan had won the Sugar Bowl over Virginia Tech, 23-20. For the first time since Tom Brady was a young man, the Wolverines had won a big bowl. The Hokies had contained Denard Robinson, they had shut him down, and he still came out on top. His final stats for that game: 9/21 for 117 yards, 2 touchdowns, an interception, 13 carries for 13 yards.

Honors and Recognition

After his successful college career, Denard Robinson was chosen to be on the cover of the video game NCAA Football 14. He was the first Michigan quarterback and third Wolverine player overall to be on the cover.

Professional Career

After college, Robinson was open to playing any position in the National Football League. He played in the 2013 Senior Bowl as a wide receiver. The Jacksonville Jaguars drafted Robinson in the 5th round of the 2013 NFL draft as a running back. The team called his position an "offensive weapon," meaning he could play running back, wide receiver, and kickoff returner.

As a rookie in 2013, Robinson played in all 16 games, rushing for 66 yards on 20 carries. In 2014, Robinson had his first NFL reception and made his first NFL start against the San Diego Chargers. On October 19, he started at running back and rushed for a career-high 127 yards, helping the Jaguars end a nine-game losing streak. It was the team's first 100-yard rushing game of the season. The next week, he rushed for 108 yards, making him the first Jaguar since 2011 to have two 100-yard rushing games in a row. He finished 2014 with 582 rushing yards and 4 touchdowns.

In 2015, Robinson had a knee injury in September, causing him to miss three games. In 2016, Robinson played in 12 games. In 2018, Robinson signed with the Atlanta Legends of the Alliance of American Football, playing in 7 games as a backup running back. He had 66 rushing yards and a touchdown, plus 37 receiving yards.

Coaching Career

In July 2019, Jacksonville University hired Robinson as an offensive analyst, also helping with special teams. In June 2020, the Jacksonville Jaguars hired Robinson as an offensive quality control coach. In February 2022, the University of Michigan hired Robinson as the assistant director of player personnel for the Michigan Wolverines football team.

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