The Wolverine continues its series of the top 25 Michigan players since 1997 with No. 14, Denard Robinson.
Michigan had never had a player like Robinson when he came to Michigan to play for coach Rich Rodriguez. Robinson excelled as a dual threat quarterback in Rodriguez's spread system, etching his name in the Michigan record books along the way.
Robinson joined the Wolverines as a four-star athlete from Deerfield Beach, Fla., and was ranked the No. 14 athlete in the country by Rivals.com. In three years as the starting quarterback at Deerfield Beach, Robinson threw for 4,784 yards and 44 touchdowns, adding 13 touchdowns on the ground.
At Michigan, Robinson hit the ground running, playing in all 12 games as a freshman in 2009. Robinson gained instant recognition for his habit of playing with untied shoe laces, earning him the nick name Shoelace. He also made waves for his first ever play at Michigan, bobbling the snap and then picking it up and running the ball in for a 43-yard touchdown in the season opener against Western Michigan.
Robinson was a national star by the end of his sophomore year, finishing sixth in Heisman voting following the 2010 season. That year, Robinson threw for 2,570 yards and 18 touchdowns while rushing for 1,702 yards and 14 more touchdowns. Robinson underwent a coaching change for the 2011 season, with Michigan bringing in Brady Hoke to replace Rodriguez. Robinson helped lead the team to a Sugar Bowl victory in the Wolverine's first season under Hoke, but he could not repeat that success in his senior season.
By the time he concluded his career at Michigan, Robinson was the NCAA leader in career rushing yards by a quarterback with 4,495 yards and his sophomore season stood as the NCAA record for rushing yards by a quarterback in a season and that mark is No. 4 in single season rush yards at Michigan. Robinson also stands third in career rushing touchdowns at Michigan and is fifth in career passing yards and fourth in career passing touchdowns, with 6,250 and 49, respectively.
Following his career at Michigan, Robinson was a fifth round selection by the Jacksonville Jaguars in the 2013 NFL Draft. Robinson is currently a free agent, but in his four years as a Jaguar, Robinson rushed for 1,041 yards and five touchdowns.
The full list:
No. 14: Denard Robinson
No. 15: Marlin Jackson
No. 16: Glen Steele
No. 17: David Baas
No. 18: Jourdan Lewis
No. 19: David Harris
No. 20: Ernest Shazor
No. 21: John Navarre
No. 22: Jake Butt
No. 23: David Molk
No. 24: Taco Charlton
No. 25: Jeremy Gallon
