OTD in ‘09 Denard “Shoelace” Robinson committed to the University of Michigan.
Robinson at 2012 Big Ten Media Day: “I was told I couldn’t play college football. I was told I couldn’t play college quarterback. I was told I was too short. I was told I couldn’t make it at a school like Michigan.”
Shoelace would go on to become the first player in NCAA history to pass for 2,500 yards and rush for 1,500 yards in a single season in 2010 and broke Pat White’s (WVU) career rushing record by a QB as he finished with 4,495 yards.
His recruitment boiled down to Florida or Michigan.
Robinson: “(Urban Meyer) said I could share time at QB with Tebow the way they did it when Tebow was a freshman and he shared time with Chris Leak.”
UF HC Urban Meyer: “We wanted him because we thought he could be our curveball. I thought he could be a quarterback because he has a nice throwing motion, and he’s a ridiculous athlete.”
Why Michigan: “We’ve known for the longest. I just wanted to see how things played out with other schools and listen to what they had to say. But I felt right about Michigan from the beginning… I want to be the face of Michigan.”
