The Wolverine: Covering University of Michigan Football and Sports
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52 THE WOLVERINE APRIL 2022 BY EJ HOLLAND A legend is back on campus. Michigan officially hired former quarterback Denard Robinson as its as- sistant director of player personnel in late February. In his role, Robinson is expected to help the team in multiple ways, but there is no doubt he'll also be involved with top recruits — especially quarterbacks. Robinson holds the NCAA record for career rushing yards by a quarterback (4,495) and rushing yards in a season by a quarterback (1,702 in 2010). He is one of five quarterbacks in NCAA history to amass 2,000 passing yards and 1,000 rushing yards in a season twice in their career (2010-11). While his success in Ann Arbor took place a decade ago, Robinson's name still resonates with elite signal-callers like On3 Consensus five-star Detroit King quarterback Dante Moore, who is arguably U-M's top overall target this cycle. "I remember watching him play and the way he always made crazy plays," Moore said. "He's 'Shoelace.' That's dope. He's a legend. What he was doing out there running around and making people miss was crazy. He was a coach in NFL, and the knowledge he's bring- ing back is going to help out the players. That's a humongous piece. "He can give the knowledge of what made him successful in college. Him helping out the quarterbacks is going to be huge — whether it's reading cover- ages, how to make people miss or taking care of your body. He's always going to have information." Moore, the No. 4 quarterback and No. 15 overall prospect nationally per the On3 Consensus, spoke to Robinson in the past through his connection to an- other former Michigan quarterback in Devin Gardner, who serves as his trainer in the offseason. "I've talked to him a little bit," Moore said. "He would just check up on me and see how I was doing. He's pretty cool. He's always laughing and joking with Devin. It's pretty cool to see them have great energy. "It was shocking to see him hired at Michigan. Devin doesn't need to tell me what he did. You can see the highlights. You know that's Denard Robinson. You can tell he's a great guy." The hiring of Robinson was also ex- citing for elite 2024 Saline (Mich.) High quarterback CJ Carr, the son of former U-M quarterback Jason Carr and grand- son of former U-M head coach Lloyd Carr. "I was 7 or 8 years old when Denard played," Carr said. "Obviously, I re- member Shoelace. I remember watching him against Ohio State. Devin Gardner also played in that game. He's a Michi- gan legend. It's exciting that he's back in the program and recruiting kids." Robinson spent the 2021 NFL season as a college scouting assistant with the Jacksonville Jaguars after working with the organization as an offensive quality control coach in 2020. Robinson is the eighth ex-Wolverine on staff, joining head coach Jim Har- baugh, wide receivers coach Ron Bel- lamy, running backs coach Mike Hart, defensive line coach Mike Elston, tight ends coach Grant Newsome, director of player development Chris Bryant and defensive analyst Doug Mallory. MICHIGAN COMMIT ADAM SAMAHA STILL FIRM TO U-M Adam Samaha was the first member of Michigan's 2023 recruiting class. The elite in-state kicker from Ann Arbor (Mich.) Huron committed to the Wolverines on Thanksgiving and has been firm with his pledge ever since. "I'm committed to Michigan because it feels like family," Samaha said. "Also, the connection I had the first time I went up there. It just felt like home. I am a firm Michigan commit, and I am excited to play under Coach [Jim] Har- baugh and the staff." Samaha visited U-M on several oc- casions in the fall and had a chance to make another unofficial visit before the dead period. His most recent trip gave him an opportunity to bond with an- other in-state commit. "The visit was really fun," Samaha said. "I got to see some of the com- mits like [wide receiver] Semaj Mor- gan. Semaj is so cool, man. He's a great guy. I'm sure we're going to build a great bond when we get up there to Michi- MICHIGAN RECRUITING Top Quarterback Recruits Excited About Denard Robinson Hire On3 Consensus five-star quarterback Dante Moore, the nation's No. 15 overall pros- pect, said of the return of Robinson: "That's dope. He's a legend. … He can give the knowledge of what made him successful in college." PHOTO BY TIM VERGHESE 2023 Michigan Commitment List Player Pos. Ht. Wt. Hometown (High School) Cole Cabana RB 5-11 170 Dexter, Mich. (Dexter) Semaj Morgan WR 5-9 178 West Bloomfield, Mich. (West Bloomfield) Andrew Rappleyea TE 6-4 215 Millbrook, N.Y. (Milton [Mass.] Academy) Adam Samaha K 6-0 170 Ann Arbor. (Huron) Raylen Wilson LB 6-0 205 Tallahassee, Fla. (Lincoln)