Michigan officially announces hiring of Denard Robinson

Denard Robinson is officially heading back to Ann Arbor. Michigan announced the hiring Thursday afternoon.

Robinson is returning to the Wolverines as the program’s assistant director of player personnel. On3’s Ant Wright first reported the hiring on Wednesday. Robinson played for Michigan from 2009-12 before heading to the NFL as a fifth-round pick in 2013. He also played in the failed AAF in 2019 for the Atlanta Legends.

He played in the NFL for four years and briefly coached with the Jacksonville Jaguars from 2019-20. Now, he’s returning to his alma mater in what could be a huge recruiting boost.

“Denard is an energetic guy who always has a smile on his face,” Michigan coach Jim Harbaugh said in a statement. “He will be a positive addition to our program in both the player personnel and player development areas. Denard has been an active member of this campus and we know he will bring that same enthusiasm and love for Michigan to our building every day. We are excited to have Denard back home at Michigan helping our team.”

More on Denard Robinson’s return to Michigan

In four seasons as a player at Michigan, Robinson threw for 6,250 yards and 49 touchdowns. Just as big of a threat on the ground, the dual-threat QB had 4,495 rushing yards and 42 rushing touchdowns.

“I am so excited about coming back to Michigan,” Robinson said in a statement. “This place means a great deal to me and I look forward to interacting with past, present and future Wolverines in my new role. Coach Harbaugh and I have been talking for almost a year about returning to help the program, and to have it finally come together is a dream come true and fulfills one of my career goals. I love this University and can’t wait to get to work.”

Harbaugh had to shake up his coaching staff this offseason after losing both coordinators. Offensive coordinator Josh Gattis headed to Miami to work for Mario Cristobal and defensive coordinator Mike MacDonald jumped to the NFL’s Baltimore Ravens under Harbaugh’s brother, John.

That led Michigan to bring in Vanderbilt defensive coordinator Jesse Minter and name quarterbacks coach Matt Weiss as co-offensive coordinator alongside Sherrone Moore. Now, Harbaugh is bringing in Robinson — the eighth former Wolverine to return to Ann Arbor.

The Wolverines are trying to build on their first-ever College Football Playoff appearance in 2021. They went 12-1 to seal an appearance in the Orange Bowl, where they fell to Georgia.