Denard Robinson Denard Xavier Robinson ( born September 22 , 1990 ) , nicknamed Shoelace , is an American football player for the Jacksonville Jaguars of the National Football League . He was the starting quarterback in all 26 games for the 2010 and 2011 Michigan Wolverines football team s and played at the same position as a senior for the 2012 team as well as running back and receiver towards the end of the season . As a sophomore in 2010 , Robinson set the single - season Division I FBS record for rush ing yards by a quarterback and became the only player in NCAA history to both pass and rush for 1 , 500 yards . Robinson also broke the Big Ten Conference season record with 4 , 272 yards of total offense ( 2 , 570 yards passing and 1 , 702 yards rushing ) and led the conference in rushing . In his second start at quarterback against Notre Dame , he set the Michigan single - game record with 502 yards of total offense . He was awarded the 2010 Chicago Tribune Silver Football as the Most Valuable Player in the Big Ten Conference and was selected by the Football Writers Association of America as a first - team All - American . He also set the Big Ten single - game record for rushing yards by a quarterback and became the only player in NCAA Division I FBS history to both pass for 200 yards and rush for 200 yards in a regular season game twice . As a junior in 2011 , Robinson led a resurgent Michigan team to an 11 – 2 record and a victory over Virginia Tech in the 2012 Sugar Bowl . He threw for a career - high 338 passing yards in a come - from - behind victory over Notre Dame in the first night game played at Michigan Stadium . At the end of the 2011 season , Robinson had eight of the top 10 single - game total offense totals in Michigan history , including 948 yards in two games against Notre Dame . His total offense output in 2010 ( 4 , 272 yards ) and 2011 ( 3 , 348 yards ) rank as the top two single - season totals in Michigan history . As a senior in 2012 , he extended his record with a third game with both 200 yards rushing and 200 yards passing . Robinson acquired the nickname " Shoelace " because he has played football since age 10 with his shoelaces untied . As a freshman and sophomore , he also competed as a sprinter for the Michigan men ' s track and field team . He has run the 40 - yard dash in 4 . 32 seconds , and he recorded the fastest competition time in 2010 among Michigan ' s sprinters in the 60 - meter dash . Early life and nickname . Robinson was born in 1990 , the son of Thomas Robinson , Sr . , and Dorothea Robinson . Robinson began playing pee - wee football by age 10 and played the game with his shoes untied . Those who saw him play at Westside Park in Deerfield Beach recall : " Kids would go for his shoes on tackles , and he ' d come up to the huddle in just socks . His coach couldn ' t stand it at first and neither could his parents . They ' d tie wristbands around his shoes . When that didn ' t work , they tried athletic tape . They even rolled his socks over his shoes . He was a marvel , and he wasn ' t even finished with the sixth grade . " Robinson continued to play football without tying his shoelaces and became known as " Shoelace . " One reporter who visited his family to watch a Michigan game noted , " To everyone in Deerfield Beach – everyone but his mother , that is – there is no Denard , just Shoelace . " Robinson ' s high school coach , Art Taylor , explained his rationale for accepting the practice : " After 25 years coaching , if the kid can throw it 90 yards in the air and is accurate and the kid can run as fast as he does . . . as long as he feels comfortable , not lacing his shoes , fine with me . The kid ' s been doing it all his life , why mess with it ? " At the college level , his coaches at the University of Michigan also accepted Robinson ' s practice . After learning that Robinson could run the 100 meters in 10 . 4 seconds with his shoes untied , Michigan quarterbacks coach Rod Smith called it " the damnedest thing I ' ve ever seen " and added , " Anybody that runs that fast I ' m not going to tell him how to tie his shoes . " Robinson wears Adidas Reggie2 Superfly shoes with Velcro straps to secure them to his feet . Deerfield Beach High School . As a ninth grader , Robinson tried out for a spot as a defensive back for the varsity football team at Deerfield Beach High School in Deerfield Beach , Florida . The team ' s defensive coordinator at the time was former Buffalo Bills defensive back Manny Martin , who was also Robinson ' s algebra teacher . Martin later recalled that he had an experienced defensive backfield , but Robinson " was always in my ear : ' I can do it . ' " Robinson did not win a spot on the varsity team and instead played quarterback for the junior - varsity team as a ninth grader . Robinson became the starting quarterback for the Deerfield Beach varsity team as a sophomore and filled that position for three years from 2006 to 2008 . Deerfield Beach head coach Art Taylor recalled , " As soon as he stepped on that field his sophomore year playing varsity , we knew we had something special . " In a 2007 state semifinal game played at the Orange Bowl , Robinson led his team to within two points of upsetting Miami Northwestern , the top - ranked high school team in the country . While warming up , Robinson noticed that a Miami Northwestern lineman had taped a photograph of Robinson onto the front of his helmet . Robinson started laughing and told the player , " You think that scares us ? " Robinson had Deerfield ahead in the game , 12 – 7 , but Miami Northwestern completed a 99 - yard touchdown drive with 18 seconds left to give them a 14 – 12 win . In October 2008 against St . Thomas Aquinas High School , Robinson was responsible for six touchdowns in a single game , pass ing for 342 yards and five touchdowns and rushing for 54 yards and a touchdown . As a three - year starter for Deerfield Beach , Robinson totaled nearly 6 , 000 yards of total offense with 4 , 784 passing yards ( 262 for 576 passing ) and 1 , 132 rushing yards ( 5 . 2 yards per carry ) . Robinson also competed in track for Deerfield Beach . In March 2009 , he ran the 100 meters sprint in 10 . 44 seconds , and finished third in the 100 - meter dash at the 2008 Florida 4A Track & Field State Championships . He also ran the 40 - yard dash in 4 . 32 seconds . He was also a member of the 2008 Florida High School Athletic Association state champion 4 x 100 metres relay team . College recruitment . As a high school senior , ESPN ranked Robinson seventh in the country as a general athlete and 101st regardless of position . Rivals . com ranked him 14th as a general athlete and 188th overall . Scout . com categorized him as a cornerback and ranked him 16th in the nation . Robinson received scholarship offers from Florida , Georgia , Kansas State , Michigan , and other programs . Michigan initially recruited Robinson as a defensive back , and Robinson declined . Robinson recalled that it was one of his goals to play quarterback at the college level . After observing his passing abilities , Michigan recruited Robinson as a quarterback . On February 4 , 2009 , Robinson announced that he had signed a National Letter of Intent to attend Michigan . University of Michigan . 2009 football season . Robinson enrolled in the University of Michigan ' s School of Kinesiology in the fall of 2009 . During Michigan ' s 2009 summer training camp , Robinson was in competition for the starting quarterback position with fellow freshman Tate Forcier and junior Nick Sheridan . Forcier , who enrolled early and participated in spring practice , was named the starting quarterback , but Robinson saw significant playing time as a true freshman , appearing in all 12 games . On September 5 , 2009 , in Michigan ' s season opener against Western Michigan , Robinson scored a touchdown on his first collegiate snap . As the ESPN television broadcast focused on his untied shoelaces , Robinson took the snap in the shotgun formation , ran to the right , broke a tackle at the 40 - yard line , then cut left and ran 43 yards for a touchdown . Two weeks later against Eastern Michigan , he ran quarterback draw play s for touchdowns of 13 and 36 yards , though he also threw two interception s . In Michigan ' s October 10 game against Iowa , Robinson replaced Forcier in the fourth quarter with the team trailing 30 – 21 . He led the team on a 59 - yard scoring drive capped by his own 3 - yard touchdown run with 3 : 16 left to cut the lead to 30 – 28 . However , on the following drive , Robinson ' s threw an interception at Michigan ' s 31 - yard line with 44 seconds remaining in the game . Robinson led the Wolverines on four scoring drives against Delaware State , throwing his first two collegiate touchdown passes and scoring a rushing touchdown as well . His only start of the season came on November 14 as a running back against Wisconsin . During the 2009 season , Robinson completed 14 of 31 passes for 188 yards and two passing touchdowns . He also ran for 351 yards and five touchdowns in 69 attempts . 2010 track season . Robinson also competed for the Michigan men ' s track and field team during his freshman year . In January 2010 , Robinson told a reporter , " When I was getting recruited I always wanted to run track and play football . It helped me move faster on the football field . " Michigan track coach Fred LaPlante said Robinson had one of the 10 fastest 100 - meter high - school times in the United States in 2009 and described Robinson the sprinter as " one of the four or five best guys in the Big Ten . " LaPlante emphasized Robinson ' s " quickness " : " One thing in football that you don ' t see in track is quickness . He ' s incredibly quick and his lateral movement is unbelievable and his ability to go in one direction and get in another . The perception people have is that ' s speed . That ' s not speed , that ' s quickness . " Robinson won the 60 - meter dash in his college track debut in " The Dual " against Ohio State on January 16 , 2010 . His time of 6 . 81 stood up as the best by a Wolverine for the season . He finished fifth in the 60 - meter dash at the Meyo Invitational on February 6 , 2010 . He finished ninth in the event at the 2010 Big Ten Indoor Championships in late February 2010 , failing to qualify for the finals by four - thousandths of a second . LaPlante recalled becoming panic - stricken during a practice race when Robinson was " running so fast he was having trouble holding the turn . " Concerned about an injury to the football team ' s quarterback , LaPlante yelled out , " Denard ! Please , don ' t do that again ! I ' ll be fired in 2 seconds ! " LaPlante recalled Robinson ' s reaction : " He had that great big smile on his face . " 2010 football season . Pre - season competition . During spring practice in April 2010 , Robinson impressed coaches and observers , leading to speculation that Robinson would overtake Forcier as the starting quarterback . The competition continued through late August and early September 2010 . In early September 2010 , Angelique Chengelis profiled Robinson in " The Detroit News " : " The prevailing belief is that Robinson has worked hard enough and improved enough to earn the job . He took significant steps in spring practice , and from all accounts , he showed his teammates an incredible devotion to offseason conditioning and film viewing , all in the interest of honing his game and improving Michigan ' s chances . " Even on the morning of Michigan ' s season opener , the " Chicago Sun - Times " reported that " the mystery surrounding who would be the Wolverines ' No . 1 quarterback was a major story line , with coach Rich Rodriguez keeping his decision secret until the very last minute . " A total offense record against UConn . Robinson did start Michigan ' s season opener against Connecticut . In the first half , he rushed for 131 yards and a touchdown on 15 carries for an average of 8 . 7 yards per carry . He finished the game with 383 yards of total offense , including 186 passing yards ( 19 of 22 passing ) and 197 rushing yards on 29 carries ( 6 . 9 yards per carry ) . Robinson ' s rushing yardage against UConn was the most ever by a Michigan quarterback . He also broke Michigan ' s single - game record for total offense with 383 yards . For his efforts Robinson earned Big Ten Conference Offensive Player of the Week , AT & T ESPN All - America Player of the Week , and Walter Camp Football Foundation National Offensive Player of the Week recognition . Less than a week after his performance in the Connecticut game , the " New York Daily News " wrote that Robinson had acquired " cult hero " status : " He has started only one game at quarterback for Michigan , but Denard Robinson is already a cult hero to the Wolverine faithful . " 502 yards of total offense against Notre Dame . In his second start at quarterback , Robinson led Michigan to a 28 – 24 win over Notre Dame against its traditional rival . He finished the game with 502 of Michigan ' s 532 yards of total offense ( 258 rushing yards and 244 passing yards ) , breaking the Michigan record he set in his first start . In the first half , Robinson had an 87 - yard touchdown run that ranks as the longest run from scrimmage in Notre Dame Stadium ' s 80 - year history . He also scored the winning touchdown with 27 seconds remaining on a two - yard run , capping a 12 - play , 72 - yard drive . Robinson broke Mike Kafka ' s Big Ten Conference record for rushing yards by a quarterback and became the ninth quarterback in NCAA history ( and the first since Pat White in 2006 ) to rush and pass for more than 200 yards in a single game . His rushing total also ranks as the all - time best in a road game by any Michigan player , regardless of position . After the game , Brandon Graham , who played with Robinson at Michigan in 2009 and now plays with Michael Vick on the Philadelphia Eagles told reporters that Robinson is even quicker than Vick : " Both of them are pretty fast , I just think Vick ' s older ; he ' s not really that fast like how Shoelace is . I think Shoelace is more quick than Vick , but Vick , he gets away . He ' s pretty fast still . I think Shoelace might have got him by a couple steps . " Robinson ' s performance drew praise from the national media . " The Wall Street Journal " called Robinson " the breakout star of the young 2010 season " and drew attention to his " absurd rushing totals . " Columnist Mitch Albom wrote : " Denard Robinson redefined the term ' offensive weapon ' on Saturday against Notre Dame . " " ESPN " college football analyst Kirk Herbstreit noted the " confident aura " around Robinson : " The body language he exudes is , ' I ' m a winner . ' He ' s small in stature , but his heart you can almost see it pounding through his jersey . And then he has , like all the great ones , he plays with a swagger like , ' You can ' t stop me . ' " Gregg Doyel , national columnist for CBSSports . com , proclaimed Robinson the front - runner for the Heisman Trophy : " Denard Robinson has earned the right to pole position in the Heisman race . It ' s not close . And if he stays healthy , I fully expect him to walk across a stage in New York City in December and take that trophy home . " For his performance against Notre Dame , Robinson was selected for the second consecutive week as the Walter Camp Football Foundation National Offensive Player of the Week , the AT & T ESPN All - America Player of the Week , the Big Ten Offensive Player of the Week , and the CBSSports . com Player of the Day . He is the first player to earn the Walter Camp honor two weeks in a row , and the fourth to do so twice in a season . He was also named the Capital One Cup Impact Performance of the Week . CBS Sports ' Verne Lundquist joked : " He might become the first guy to win both the Davey O ' Brien and the Doak Walker . " Robinson totaled 455 rushing yards and 885 yards of total offense in the first two games of the 2010 season , which led Division I FBS . Through the first two weeks of the season , Robinson had by himself outgained 87 of the 120 FBS teams in total offense . Indiana : 494 yards of total offense . Playing against Indiana in the fifth game of the season , Robinson totaled 494 yards of total offense , the second - highest single - game total in Michigan history . He completed 10 of 16 passes for 277 yards and three touchdowns , and he gained 217 rushing yards on 19 carries for an average of 11 . 4 yards per carry . On Michigan ' s second play from scrimmage , Robinson ran 72 yards for a touchdown . On the second play of the second half , Robinson threw a 70 - yard touchdown pass to Junior Hemingway , the longest of his career , to give Michigan a 28 – 21 lead . On Michigan ' s next drive , Robinson aggravated the knee injury sustained the prior week against Bowling Green and came out of the game for the remainder of the drive . He returned to the game and led Michigan on a game - winning , 65 - yard touchdown drive in the final minute of the game . With 21 seconds remaining , Robinson completed a 32 - yard pass to the 4 - yard line . On the next play , Robinson scored on a 4 - yard touchdown run with 17 seconds remaining . With his performance against Indiana , Robinson became the first player in Division I FBS history to have two regular season games with 200 yards rushing and 200 yards passing . Seven others have accomplished the feat ( including Pat White , Vince Young , and Antwaan Randle El ) , but none have done so more than once in the regular season . Vince Young accomplished this feat once in the regular season and once in the Rose Bowl . After the Indiana game , Dari Nowkhah wrote in ESPN ' s " Heisman Watch " column that Robinson was " running away with the Heisman Trophy " and compared him to 1988 Heisman Trophy winner Barry Sanders : " We haven ' t seen this type of college football playmaker since . . . Barry Sanders ? I ' m not saying Robinson reminds me of Sanders . ( How could a quarterback remind me of a running back ? ) But there is a shocking resemblance between the diminutive playmakers in their speed , elusiveness and quickness . So is the effect the two have on my sense of what is right and wrong . Being that dominant on a football field somehow feels wrong . It ' s unfair . " On October 4 , 2010 , Robinson was named the Big Ten Offensive Player of the Week ( for the third time in five weeks ) , and also received the Davey O ' Brien Quarterback of the Week award ( for the second time in four weeks ) . After five games , Robinson remained the nation ' s leading rusher in both total yards ( 905 ) and yards per game ( 181 ) . He also ranked fourth in the country with a quarterback rating of 180 . Three consecutive mid - season losses . After leading Michigan to a 5 – 0 record and breaking the school ' s total offense records , Robinson was the front - runner for the Heisman Trophy . His Heisman prospects suffered after three consecutive losses to Michigan State , Iowa and Penn State . In a 34 – 17 loss to Michigan State in the Paul Bunyan Trophy game , Robinson completed 17 of 29 passes for 215 passing yards but threw three interceptions . He was also limited to 86 rushing yards on 21 carries . Despite a " lackluster " performance against the Spartans , " Sports Illustrated " selected Robinson for its " September Heisman " following the Michigan State game . He was also selected by Mark Schlabach as the Offensive MVP in ESPN . com ' s Mid - Season Awards . One week after the loss to Michigan State , the Wolverines lost to Iowa , 38 – 28 . Robinson was limited to 96 passing yards and 105 rushing yards and threw his fifth interception of the season . In the third quarter , Robinson suffered a shoulder injury and did not return to the game . Michigan ' s record dropped to 5 – 3 with a 41 – 31 loss to Penn State . Despite the loss , Robinson ' s offensive output rebounded against the Nittany Lions . He rushed for 191 yards on 27 carries ( an average of 7 . 1 yards per carry ) and passed for another 190 yards , including a 60 - yard touchdown pass to Kevin Koger . With 191 rushing yards against Penn State , Robinson ' s season rushing total reached 1 , 287 yards , breaking Antwaan Randle El ' s Big Ten record of 1 , 270 rushing yards by a quarterback . Offensive free - for - all against Illinois . In his ninth start , Robinson passed for a career - high 302 yards and ran for 62 yards against Illinois . On the first play from scrimmage , Robinson threw a 75 - yard touchdown pass to Roy Roundtree . In the second quarter , Robinson also threw a 33 - yard touchdown pass to Roundtree and another 75 - yard pass to Roundtree to set up Michigan ' s third touchdown . Robinson set a school single - half record with 262 passing yards in the first half . Robinson came out of the game at the end of the third quarter after reporting concussion - like symptoms , including dizziness and headaches . Michigan went on to win the game 67 – 65 . Robinson and substitute Tate Forcier combined to break Michigan ' s all - time , single - game record with 419 passing yards , surpassing the prior record of 396 yards by Tom Brady and Drew Henson against Michigan State in 1999 . The following week , Robinson , was named as one of sixteen Maxwell Award semifinalists . Consecutive losses to Wisconsin and Ohio State . Robinson ' s shot at the Heisman Trophy was lost with a disappointing performance against Purdue and consecutive blowout losses to Wisconsin and Ohio State . In the Purdue game , Robinson turned the ball over four times ( two interceptions and two lost fumbles ) in heavy rain and gusting wind . Robinson was also held to a season - low 68 rushing yards against Purdue . One week later , Michigan suffered a 48 – 28 loss to Wisconsin . Robinson passed for 239 yards and two touchdowns , rushed for 121 yards and two touchdowns , set the Division I FBS record for rushing yards by a quarterback and become the first NCAA player with 1 , 500 rushing yards and 2 , 000 passing yards in the same season . However , Robinson ' s individual performance was overshadowed by the 20 - point loss to the Badgers . In the final game of the regular season , Michigan lost by a 30 - point margin ( 37 – 7 ) against Ohio State in The Game . Robinson failed to register a passing or rushing touchdown for the first time in 2010 . Although he rushed for 105 yards on 18 carries , he was limited to 87 passing yards . After sustaining two dislocated fingers on his non - throwing hand , Robinson was replaced in the second half by Tate Forcier . 2011 Gator Bowl . Michigan finished its 2010 season with a 52 – 14 loss to Mississippi State in the 2011 Gator Bowl , the worst defeat ever suffered by Michigan in a bowl game . Robinson completed 27 of 41 passes for 254 yards , two touchdowns and one interception . He added 59 rushing yards on 11 carries for 313 yards of total offense , enough to break Drew Brees ' Big Ten single - season total offense record of 4 , 189 yards . 2010 season statistics and awards . Robinson finished the 2010 season with 1 , 702 rushing yards ( 130 . 9 yards per game ) , which stood as an FBS single - season record for a quarterback until it was surpassed two years later by Jordan Lynch . He also passed for 2 , 570 yards and compiled 4 , 272 yards of total offense ( 328 . 6 yards per game ) . In the 10th game of the season against Purdue , Robinson passed John Navarre ' s Michigan single - season total offense record of 3 , 240 yards set in 2003 . Against Wisconsin one week later , he broke the Division I FBS single - season quarterback rushing record of 1 , 494 yards previously held by Beau Morgan of Air Force . He also became the first person in NCAA ( all divisions ) history to record 1 , 500 yards rushing and passing in the same season . At the end of the regular season , Robinson received the Chicago Tribune Silver Football trophy as the Most Valuable Player in the Big Ten Conference . He was also named Big Ten Offensive Player of the Year by the Big Ten coaches and media and by the " College Football News " . Robinson was also selected as a first - team All - American by the Football Writers Association of America as a running back , a third - team All - American by the Associated Press as an all - purpose player , and an honorable mention quarterback selection by " Sports Illustrated " and " College Football News " . He finished sixth in the 2010 Heisman Trophy voting , and was selected as a first - team All - Big Ten quarterback by both the Big Ten media and " College Football News " . With 313 yards of total offense in the 2011 Gator Bowl , Robinson broke Drew Brees ' Big Ten single - season total offense record of 4 , 189 yards . He fell 116 yards short of Tim Biakabutuka ' s Michigan school record of 1 , 818 rushing yards . However , he led the conference in both total offense and rushing yards per game . 2011 football season . Decision to stay after coaching change . Following Michigan ' s season - ending loss in the 2011 Gator Bowl , head coach Rich Rodriguez was fired and replaced by Brady Hoke . As Robinson had thrived in Rodriguez ' s spread offense , the coaching change led to speculation that Robinson may transfer . On January 17 , 2011 , Robinson ended the speculation when he issued a statement confirming that he would stay at Michigan . In the video statement released by the University of Michigan , Robinson said he seriously considered transferring and noted that Rodriguez was one of the few coaches willing to give him the chance to play quarterback at the next level . Robinson explained his decision to stay at Michigan : " This is my family . This is my home now . . . . I couldn ' t let it go . " He also noted that he talked to his teammates and told them , " ' You know , I can ' t just leave you out there . ' I ' ve been around these guys two years and we ' ve bonded and it ' s like a family here . There ' s nothing like this . " Preseason focus on adaptability to new offense . Robinson entered the 2011 season on watchlists for the Maxwell Award , the Davey O ' Brien Award , the Walter Camp Award , the Paul Hornung Award , and the Manning Award . In the weeks leading up to the 2011 season , the media focused on questions surrounding Robinson ' s ability to adapt to the pro - style offense being implemented by new offensive coordinator , Al Borges , and also on Borges ' willingness to adjust his game plan to take advantage of Robinson ' s running capability . Robinson noted that the running game would remain an option even in passing situations , adding , " If nobody ' s open , the broken play is probably the hardest play to stop in college football – in any football . " Regular season . In Michigan ' s 2011 season opener against Western Michigan , Robinson completed 9 of 13 passes for 98 yards and had 46 rushing yards on eight carries . The game was ended with 1 : 27 left in the third quarter due to inclement weather . In Michigan ' s next game against Notre Dame , Robinson completed 11 of 24 passes for 338 yards with four touchdowns and had 108 yards rushing on 16 carries with a touchdown on a recovered fumble near the goal line . He threw the game - winning touchdown pass to Roy Roundtree with two seconds left in the fourth quarter to defeat the Irish 35 – 31 . The performance moved Robinson into third place in Big Ten history for rushing yards by a quarterback . In recognition of his performance during the game , the Big Ten named Denard Robinson its Offensive Player of the Week , while the Davey O ' Brien Award named him its Quarterback of the Week . He was also named Rivals . com ' s Big Ten and National Player of the Week and was nominated for the Capital One Cup Impact Performance of the Week , which he won by fan vote . In Michigan ' s third game , against Eastern Michigan , Robinson posted 198 rushing yards giving him five of the top ten quarterback single - game rushing outputs in conference history . In Michigan ' s fourth game , against San Diego State , Robinson tallied three touchdowns in the first half on his way to a 200 - yard rushing effort . The effort moved him into second place in Big Ten history in career rushing yards by a quarterback , behind only Antwaan Randle El . He also earned Big Ten Conference Co - Offensive Player of the Week recognition . On October 8 , against Northwestern , Robinson contributed 454 yards of total offense with 337 yards passing and 117 rushing . He scored two rushing touchdowns and had two passing . During Michigan ' s November 19 victory over Nebraska , Robinson posted 180 yards passing and 83 rushing yards with two rushing touchdowns and two passing touchdowns to earn Co - Big Ten Offensive Player of the Week honors from the conference . He also won the Rivals . com Big Ten Player of the Week and was a nominee for the Capital One Cup Impact Performances of the Week . On November 26 , in a victory over Ohio State , Fitzgerald Toussaint joined Robinson with 1000 yards for the season , marking the first time since the 1975 team that Michigan had two 1 , 000 - yard rushers . Robinson posted a five - touchdown performance ( three passing and two rushing ) and became the fourth player in NCAA history to gain 2 , 000 yards passing and 1 , 000 yards rushing in a season twice in his career . Robinson totalled 170 yards rushing and earned a share of his fourth Big Ten Offensive Player of the Week recognition for the season . He also repeated as the Rivals . com Big Ten Player of the Week and was a College Football Performance Awards honorable mention as the National Quarterback of the Week . Following the 2011 Big Ten Conference football season , he earned second team All - Conference recognition from the media . He was voted team MVP for the second year in a row . He was a " Sports Illustrated " All - American honorable mention selectee . 2012 football season . In August 2012 , Robinson and teammate Taylor Lewan were selected by the media among the five " Players to Watch " in Big Ten Legends Division . Robinson was elected team captain . After a disappointing performance in a season - opening , 41 – 14 loss to Alabama ( 27 rushing yards , 200 passing yards , and two interceptions ) , Robinson rebounded in Michigan ' s second game against Air Force . Robinson contributed 426 yards of total offense against Air Force ( 208 passing yards , 218 rushing yards , two rushing touchdowns , and two passing touchdowns ) . For his performance , he was named Big Ten Offensive Player of the Week and received College Football Performance Award honors as National Player of the Week and National Quarterback of the Week . He became the first NCAA athlete to both rush and pass for 200 yards in a game on three separate occasions . It marked the first time since the 1993 Rose Bowl performance by Tyrone Wheatley that a Michigan player had two rushing touchdowns of over 50 yards . On September 15 , 2012 , playing against UMass , Robinson tallied 397 yards of total offense in three quarters of play , including 291 passing yards , three passing touchdowns , and 369 yards of total offense in the first half . With the performance against UMass , Robinson passed Tom Brady on Michigan ' s all - time passing yardage list . On September 22 , Robinson was responsible for five turnovers , four first - half interceptions and a lost fumble on the opening drive of the second half , in a 13 – 6 loss to Notre Dame . The " Detroit Free Press " called it " the worst game of his Michigan career . " On October 7 , Robinson rushed for 235 yards on 24 carries and threw for 105 yards against Purdue . His performance gave him 3 , 905 career rushing yards , moving past Antwaan Randle El as the Big Ten career leader in rushing yards by a quarterback . He also tied Mike Hart ' s Michigan school record with his fifth career 200 - yard rushing game . The 235 yards rushing was also a personal best for Robinson in a Big Ten game . The performance won him recognition as the Maxwell Award Player of the Week and a Manning Award " Star of the Week " . It also earned him his ninth Big Ten Offensive Player of the Week award , tying a career record set in 1999 by Ron Dayne . Robinson was named a semifinalist for the Davey O ' Brien Award and a finalist for the Johnny Unitas Golden Arm Award . After suffering an injury and being knocked out of Michigan ' s game with Nebraska ( a 23 – 9 loss to the Cornhuskers ) on October 27 , Robinson returned to the lineup for the last home game of the 2012 season , a 42 - 17 victory over Iowa . Playing in his final game at Michigan Stadium , Robinson split his playing time between the tailback , quarterback , and wide receiver positions . He accounted for 122 yards , including 98 rushing yards on 13 carries and 24 receiving yards on two receptions . With the injury to the ulnar nerve in his right elbow , Robinson did not throw the ball during the game and was forced to carry the ball in his right hand . In his final regular season game , the annual Michigan – Ohio State rivalry game , Robinson rushed for 122 yards on 10 carries , including a 67 - yard touchdown run with a minute to go in the first half . His performance against Ohio State gave him a career total of 4 , 395 rushing yards — 85 yards less than Pat White ' s NCAA record for career rushing yardage by a quarterback ( 4 , 480 yards ) . He was a 2012 All - Big Ten honorable mention selection by the media for the 2012 Wolverines . Denard played his final game at Michigan on January 1 , 2013 in the Outback Bowl vs South Carolina . Statistics at Michigan . Michigan ' s all - time total offense leaders . Single game . Currently , as Michigan ' s starting quarterback , Robinson has the eight top single - game performances in total yards in Michigan history , and nine of the top ten , as reflected in the following list of the all - time , single - game leaders . Single season . Michigan ' s top five single - season performances in total offense are set forth below . Robinson holds the single - season record for total yards with 4272 , set in 2010 . 2013 NFL Draft . Robinson is eligible for the 2013 NFL Draft . It is noteworthy that Robinson is considering playing quarterback in the National Football League , though he stated that he is open to any position . However , " critics " are suggesting that he has a better chance of being drafted by an NFL team if he switches to cornerback , receiver , running back or kick returner because of his quickness – 4 . 35 in the 40 yard dash . However CBS Sports ' Mike Freeman says his talents would be wasted on the defensive side of the ball . Doug Flutie ( Buffalo Bills ) and Dieter Brock ( Los Angeles Rams ) were relatively successful quarterbacks similar in stature to Robinson . Russell Wilson who currently plays starting quarterback for the Seattle Seahawks is also similar in stature to Robinson . Robinson participated in the 2013 Senior Bowl at wide receiver . In the game , Robinson caught two passes for 21 yards and rushed the ball once for a three - yard loss . His performance in the game and the preceding week of practice was regarded as unimpressive and his draft stock fell to the late rounds . Robinson was the only Wolverine from the 2012 - 2013 team that was invited to participate in the NFL combine . He was not invited as a quarterback , but rather as a wide receiver , but he did intend to throw and return kickoffs and punts on his Pro Day . On the Pro Day , he did not do quarterback drills , but he did return punts , made catches while running routes , and also did running back drills . Scouts concluded he should become a running back first before developing into a wideout . Pre - draft . Robinson ' s 40 - yard dash official time of 4 . 43 was the tenth fastest on February 24 ( quarterback , running back and wide receiver day ) . After disappointing as a receiver at the Senior Bowl , Robinson caught every pass during the gauntlet drill . NCAA College Football 14 Cover Vote . After Robinson ' s successful collegiate career , he was voted as the next athlete to be on the cover of NCAA Football 14 . The contest achieved more than 6 million votes making Robinson the first Michigan quarterback to don the cover and third Wolverine overall . He is the first since Heisman Trophy winner Desmond Howard in 2006 , with the other being Charles Woodson on the 1999 version of the game . The voting , which took place on social media websites such as Facebook and Twitter opened in mid December 2012 , lasted until March 8th of 2013 . During this time , the contest had gone through several rounds of voting , until finally being shrunken down to the final two , where Denard faced off against Texas A & M wide receiver Ryan Swope . Robinson lasted through all voting rounds , and outlasted Alabama Crimson Tide running back Eddie Lacy , and possible National Football League lottery draft selections Jarvis Jones of the Georgia Bulldogs and standout Tight End Tyler Eifert of the Notre Dame Fighting Irish . The contest gained attention worldwide , with former students and athletes vouching support for their former schools . Former University of Michigan Swimming star and decorated Olympian Michael Phelps was one of many celebrities to publicly show his support for his former school , as well as rap artist / celebrity Snoop Dogg showing support for Robinson , who does not have any ties to the University itself . Professional career . Robinson was selected by the Jacksonville Jaguars in the 5th round of the 2013 NFL Draft with the 135th overall selection , he was selected as a Running Back when his name was finally called .