With Rich Rodriguez no longer Michigan’s football coach, a great deal of the attention in the coming days will center around players possibly leaving the program, considering how many Wolverines left when Rodriguez was hired in 2008.

But of any player on the roster, sophomore quarterback Denard Robinson could be Michigan’s most valuable piece to retain during the upcoming coaching transition.

Following the Wolverines’ 52-14 blowout loss in the Gator Bowl, Robinson was asked about the prospect of leaving Michigan if his coach was no longer here.

“No response,” he replied.

He added: “That’s my coach. That’s who recruited me, so that’s it.”

Robinson was with his former high school track coach at Deerfield Beach High School, Kenny Brown, when he heard the news about Rodriguez’s firing. In an interview with The Michigan Daily on Wednesday, Brown said Robinson was “very upset” about losing his coach.

“He came to Michigan because (of) the offense that Coach Rodriguez ran,” Brown said. “It was tailor-made for him.”

Robinson finished the season with 4,272 total yards, along with 32 touchdowns — a breakout performance that earned him Big Ten Offensive Player of the Year honors, as Michigan’s offense finished sixth in the nation in total offense. At an average of 330 yards per game, Robinson tallied 23 more yards per game than Auburn quarterback and 2010 Heisman winner Cam Newton.

But with that offense possibly changing, Robinson will decide in the coming days whether to transfer or stick with Michigan’s new coach and scheme.

Robinson’s former high school football coach Art Taylor spoke with the Daily on Wednesday about Robinson’s future with the team. Taylor hasn’t spoken with Robinson since news about Rodriguez’s firing was made public.

“I think first you have to look at who they’re going to bring in and does he fit his style as a quarterback,” Taylor said. “You can’t jump to conclusions too quickly … It just depends on who they bring in.

“They averaged 400 or 500 yards on offense, and that type of offense that coach Rodriguez ran fit Denard perfectly … That is the type of offense that he needs to stay in.”

Jim Harbaugh will likely become the coach of the San Francisco 49ers, but in the last few weeks much speculation centered around the possibility of Harbaugh bringing a pro-style offense to Ann Arbor. But with Robinson’s skills “tailor-made” for the spread offense, many are worried that Robinson’s skill set doesn’t fit that type of offense.

And though Taylor said Robinson could succeed in a pro-style offense if necessary, he doesn’t think it would be a good use of Robinson’s explosive presence in the open field.

“He can do it,” Taylor said. “But I think you lose such a weapon if you make him straight drop back. … You take away all his weapons and he’ll never be as good as he could be. You’d be taking away a 4.3-speed kid, a running back type that has an arm that defenses have to adjust to. You’d be taking that weapon away.”

In his press conference Wednesday afternoon announcing Rodriguez’s firing, Athletic Director Dave Brandon said no single player will affect the decision as to what coach he will hire and what offensive scheme that coach will bring.

“This isn’t about one particular kid we’re recruiting, or one particular kid on the football team,” Brandon said. “This is about making a decision that will really lay the groundwork for years to come. I understand that.”

But Taylor doesn’t think that approach is wise for a team that leaned so much on its speedy quarterback this season.

“I think that’s a bad choice of words right there,” Taylor said, referring to Brandon’s statement. “That’s not really smart when you have a weapon like Denard Robinson. How many schools in the country would want Denard Robinson as their quarterback? Everyone would want him as their quarterback. … Could you even think about if he went somewhere like Oregon? There’s a lot of offenses out there that run the spread, read offense.

“I think you better think about Denard, and if you don’t, you don’t. Then, you just have to let the chips fall as they may.”

If a pro-style offense was instituted by the Wolverines’ new coach next season, many have wondered whether Robinson could switch positions and play as a receiver or running back.

Robinson was recruited out of Deerfield Beach High School in Deerfield Beach, Fla. to play receiver by many schools around the country, including Florida. Michigan was one of the few schools that gave him a chance under center.

Taylor and Brown both agree that the reason he came to Michigan was to be a quarterback, and they aren’t very optimistic he’d stay in Ann Arbor playing any position other than that.

“I don’t think Denard would be open to moving his position,” Taylor said. “I think that would be a big thing.”

Added Brown: “This stuff about moving Denard to the slot and have a pro guy like Harbaugh come in? I don’t agree with that. (Brandon) of all people knows how Denard feels about being a college quarterback.”

Both Taylor and Brown spoke about the importance of Robinson’s chance of playing in the NFL, and Taylor said it should be a part of his decision. And while Taylor thinks Robinson could play quarterback on Sundays, Brown says Robinson is open to changing positions — but only at the next level.

“At the next level, (Robinson) was saying, he can’t control that,” Brown said. “He’s not going to say no if a team drafted him and asked him to change positions, that’s fine.

“But in college, he always had dreams of being a college quarterback, simple as that. If he wanted to play wide receiver, he would’ve went to Florida. He would’ve been a Gator if he wanted to play receiver — that’s what they wanted him to play. He wants to be a quarterback. He should be a college quarterback.”

Either way, Michigan fans will be waiting on bated breath in the next week or so as Brandon and Robinson both make decisions that will seriously affect the future of the Michigan football program.

Taylor said Robinson was a “big Rich Rod fan,” and he assumes the news of his firing was “definitely hurtful” to the Michigan quarterback.

“He’s a loyal guy and he loves Michigan,” Taylor said. “But at the end of the day, you have to look out for what’s best for you in that situation.”