The door swung open and Denard Robinson 

introduced himself, offered out his hand and 

sat down in a second-floor office inside Schem-

bechler Hall. Robinson, 32, is dressed in all blue 

and working on a goatee, still rocking his vintage 

dreadlocks.

Memorabilia spanning yearbooks to bobble-

heads are scattered around the room, homages 

to Michigan football’s lore. Robinson, of course, 

is an integral part of the program’s rich history. 

Bridging Rich Rodriguez to Brady Hoke, Robin-

son captivated the fanbase with his electric talent 

and ingrained the nickname “Shoelace” into the 

hearts of Wolverines across the globe. 

From 2010-2012, Robinson’s name was synon-

ymous with Michigan football.

His goal now, a decade later, is to pass that 

baton onto someone else.

“I want to get some guys that come up here 

and be one of those players for us, one of the guys 

that’s a face for the University of Michigan,” Rob-

inson told The Daily. “When they think about 

Michigan, you think about that person.”

Michigan coach Jim Harbaugh had been in 

conversations with Robinson for a while – the 

pair initially connected at the beginning of last 

season, but Robinson wanted to finish the year in 

his previous role with the Jacksonville Jaguars.

They stayed in touch, and in February, Mich-

igan afforded Robinson that opportunity, hiring 

him as its new assistant director of player person-

nel. At last, he returned home.

“I knew I always wanted to come back to 

Michigan and be a part of this program in some 

type of capacity,” Robinson said. “I was just 

excited to be a part of it.”

Robinson’s work involves three primary con-

centrations: watching film, scouring the transfer 

portal and hitting the recruiting trail. In each 

task, his goal is to find ways for Michigan to 

improve.

“It’s been surreal,” Robinson said, grinning.

Surreal for Robinson, sure, but also the high 

school players he recruits. Robinson estimates 

that 75% of high school players recognize him.

“It’s kind of fun to see,” Robinson said, smil-

ing again. “The younger guys coming up that 

watched football when they were younger, it’s 

cool to see that those guys still remember me.”

One time, a player didn’t recognize Robinson 

for his on-field exploits. He did, though, realize 

that Robinson graces the cover of the video game 

NCAA 14. “Then he flipped out,” Robinson said, 

mimicking the player’s frenetic reaction.

“(Being on the cover) is just a dream come true 

for me,” Robinson remembered telling the player. 

“I didn’t even dream that far about being on the 

front cover of the college game, but it happened 

to me. So we’ll make it real that you can do it, too.”

It’s easy to see why Robinson can be an effec-

tive recruiter. Beyond the pedigree – an all-time 

great player who holds the NCAA record for 

most rushing yards by a quarterback, among 

other accolades – Robinson is charismatic and 

genuine. The role suits him.

For Robinson, it’s also invigorating.

“It’s based on potential,” Robinson said, 

explaining the process. “You can see it. It’s either 

good or bad. Sometimes you miss on a guy, some-

times you’re right on a guy. You’re trying to bat 

well. You want to be correct every time, but 

sometimes you’re gonna have failure. You just 

have to get back up and say, ‘Hey, I missed that 

one, onto the next.’ That’s how I look at it.”

Robinson is well-versed in the lesson that 

things don’t always go your way. In college, Rob-

inson was so popular that professors asked him 

to stop showing up to class because his mere 

presence created a distraction. But post-gradua-

tion life humbled him.

During his senior year, he suffered an ulnar 

nerve injury that ended his career as a quarter-

back, forcing him to switch positions at the next 

level. Between injuries and inef-

fectiveness, he never panned 

out as a hybrid running 

back/wide receiver type.

Robinson’s fall from 

grace even prompted a 

Player’s Tribune story 

last year – penned by 

Robinson himself – titled, 

What Ever Happened to Denard Robin-

son?

This year, that question has an answer. 

Robinson is back at Michigan, and he has 

found his place.

Robinson always knew that he wanted to stay 

involved in football once his playing days were 

behind him. Jacksonville University first hired 

him as an offensive analyst and assistant special 

teams coordinator in 2019. After their program 

disbanded, Robinson joined the Jaguars in 2020 

as an offensive quality control coach. The fol-

lowing year, he transitioned to the front office, 

assuming a role as a college scouting assistant, 

learning the ins-and-outs of player development.

Throughout it all, though, Michigan never lin-

gered far from his mind. If his bye week aligned, 

he returned to Ann Arbor for a football game. 

If not, he watched every game from his 

home, alongside his five-year-

old son, Denard 

Xavier 
Rob-

inson Jr., a 

budding 

superfan 

himself.

JARED GREENSPAN

Managing Sports Editor

Back at home
Back at home,, Denard Robinson eager to 
, Denard Robinson eager to 

help Michigan
help Michigan's next generation 
s next generation 

The Michigan Daily — michigandaily.com
Thursday, November 17, 2022 — 5

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AT MICHIGAN
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