Yes, you read the title correctly, Denard Robinson is my pre-season Heisman Trophy pick.
Most people will probably argue that Denard Robinson is not a real Quarterback, he isn't a good enough passer, and Matt Barkley will ultimately win the Heisman and be the first overall pick in the Draft. To me, Matt Barkley is Andrew Luck and Denard Robinson will prove to be this year's RG3.
If you just look at Denard's stats from last year then you can make a strong case that he shouldn't even be in the running. Last year Shoelace had a 55 % completion percentage with 20 passing TD's to 15 Ints with 2100 yards passing. He still ran for 1100 yards rushing and had 14 TD's but his passing numbers were near horrendous last year. However, go back to his sophomore year where he had a 62.5 completion percentage with 2500 yards and 18 TD's to 11 Ints. Denard also added 1700 yards rushing with 14 TD's in his sophomore year.
All of those stats lead me to one point Denard Robinson was better in his second year under Rich Rodriguez than his first year under Brady Hoke. This makes me think that Denard in large part didn't know what he was doing last year. I personally think Denard has a shot to have a really good season with the talent around him in his second year in Michigan's Hybrid West Coast/Spread Option offense.
However talent and being more comfortable in a system is not grounds for a Heisman prediction on it's own. If you talk to anyone around the University of Michigan football program they are saying there is something different about Denard this year.
In his Senior year he is showing maturity that just hasn't been there before. Denard has done the one thing he never has done much, he has become a film addict. He has been scouting other teams as well as himself and been working on correcting his mistakes from last year before he gets on the field. Denard has always been good at self correcting at halftime or in between drives but he is taking it upon himself to correct his mistakes before he walks into the trial by fire that is awaiting him in Cowboys Stadium.
He has also broken some of the habits he's had of eating junk food, with him saying he is in the best shape of his life. Denard has also broken something much more important than his bad habits, Robinson has also broken his silence. Robinson has never been a talker but this year he did something very much out of character when he gave the keynote address at the 2012 Big Ten luncheon. He described how it was in the neighborhood he grew up in. He addressed how many kids in his town ended up doing drugs, getting involved with gangs, and doing various other illegal activities. He also said he wasn't the best football player in his town, he was just the best one to get out without getting aressted or shot.
Everything Denard has done in this offseason has him looking poised to snatch the Heisman away from probable No.1 overall pick Matt Barkley. The real test will be the trial by fire against the Crimson Tide of Alabama in Jerryworld. In my mind if Denard has a good game against the Tide, even if they don't win, he will make a strong case to be the front runner for the Heisman right off the bat.
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