Denard Robinson's Transformation From Quiet Southern Boy to Michigan's Magnificent Magician

Denard Robinson had guts, but lacked some confidence. He grew up in a tough section of Deerfield Beach, a Fort Lauderdale suburb. But even he doubted he could play quarterback at a major college football power like Michael Vick did, they player he modeled his play after. He said, "When I got to high school, I was like, 'Hopefully, I can get to a Division II school.' I was undersized and I didn't know anyone would look at me. I was like, 'Hopefully, I can just get out of the city of Deerfield.'"

Most scouts and coaches saw Robinson as a stellar athlete, but few thought he could play quarterback at the next level. One man, named Rich Rodriguez, believed in him as a quarterback. Rodriguez had taken over as the head coach of the University of Michigan. He was in the process of instilling his spread offense and thought Robinson would be a great fit at the helm.

When Robinson walked into the Michigan locker room his freshman year, his teammates took a look at his dreadlocks and untied shoelaces and didn't know what to think. Denard says he is shy by nature and was a bit nervous and unsure at first. Michigan center David Molk said of Robinson at this point he was "a scared little kid who didn't know what to do." When they finally got him to talk, his words seemed to come out as fast as he ran. His teammates called his fast-talking southern drawl "Talking Florida." Once he got on the field, Molk knew they were in trouble. Molk gave Robinson some advice. "I told him to take out his mouthpiece when he talked. I couldn't understand anything."

Once that got straightened out, Coach Rodriguez decided Robinson was simply too talented to redshirt. In fact, he gave his true freshman quarterback his first shot under center in a game against Western Michigan. During Robinson's first play, he fumbled the snap before picking it up and maneuvering around and then outrunning everyone to the endzone. The now famous play can be seen here: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=R1402kDBdTU. As a freshman, Robinson was obviously a great runner, but had a hard enough time catching snaps, let alone completing passes. As a result, he was forced to split time with fellow freshman quarterback Tate Forcier.

Many Michigan fans were surprised when Robinson won the starting job over Forcier their sophomore year. In the second game of the season against Notre Dame, he began to show why. In that game, he accounted for 502 of the Wolverines' 532 offensive yards. Everyone realized he had improved in the pocket and developed a passer's touch. But now people began to question his toughness and whether or not he was to frail. He didn't seem to have the comeback, playmaking that Forcier seemed to be able to produce. But Coach Rodriguez still believed in him.

However, Robinson's breakout season on the field wasn't enough to save his coach's job. The worst three-year span of football in University of Michigan history culminated in an embarrassing 52-14 dismantling by Mississippi State in the Gator Bowl. Coach Rodriguez was promptly fired. This concerned Robinson because he knew a new coach most likely meant a new system. He didn't know how he would fit into that new system. Robinson considered leaving, but realized his teammates were like his second family and he simply couldn't. It was a risky decision.

When new coach Brady Hoke came to Michigan from San Diego State, he brought offensive coordinator Al Borges with him. Borges ran a pro-style offense and let Robinson know he was in for a change right away. He said, "I told him from day one he wasn't going to rush for 1700 yards because we had to keep him in one piece if it killed us." Robinson clearly struggled at first. It could especially be seen in his footwork, which resulted in him throwing a career-high 14 interceptions. Whether or not Robinson liked it, he realized he was emerging as a leader on the team, and he embraced it. Even with Borges' more conventional approach, Robinson still struggled with injuries, the most serious of which was a staph infection his throwing arm, which hospitalized him for a night.

Robinson never complained though. He said, "There was a lot going on, but we had to fight through it. We just had to keep fighting. The Wolverines responded to Robinson's toughness and followed their leader's example to Michigan's first ten win season since 2007. Most importantly for Michigan fans, the season was capped off by their team's first victory over rival Ohio State since 2003. Not only did the Wolverines achieve that, but they earned an at-large bid to a BCS bowl, the Sugar Bowl.

In the Sugar Bowl, Robinson and the Wolverines take on the Hokies of Virginia Tech, the team his childhood idol Michael Vick played for. Not only that, but this game is taking place in the same building where Vick had his most memorable college moment as he played against Florida State in the BCS title game. While all eyes will be watching Robinson tomorrow night, he won't want any of the credit. Robinson said, "Everyone is praising me at that time. I want to give God the praise because He is the one who put me in the position to do what I do." Oh and if you are wondering if he will back for his senior season year at Michigan, Robinson flashed his smile and said, "Oh yeah. I expect to be back." Denard Robinson, affectionately nicknamed Shoelace, has matured a lot during his Michigan career so far, and you might even be able to understand what he says in the post-game interview thanks to his second family, his teammates.