Back home in Deerfield Beach, Fla., everyone knows Denard Robinson as "Shoelace."

Robinson said he got the nickname as a pee-wee football player because he never tied his shoes. Still doesn't, either.

"He ain’t tied his shoes one time since he’s been here," quarterbacks coach Rod Smith said.

Smith said he first heard of Robinson's nickname during a trip to Florida last year.

“We went down to recruit Denard and we’re calling him Denard, and his coach yells, ‘Hey, Shoelace,’" Smith said. "‘Who’s Shoelace?' 'Well, that’s Denard.' 'Why do you call him Shoelace, coach?' 'Well, he’s never tied his shoes since like the eighth grade.' He always walks around with his shoelaces untied.

"That’s neat, but when you watch him practice and you watch him run track and he runs a 10.4 100 meters in unlaced shoes you’re thinking that’s a little different. So hence that’s the nickname, Shoelace. And today, watch him now, he runs with his shoes untied. It’s the damnedest thing I’ve ever seen."

Smith said he's never asked Robinson to lace up - and he doesn't plan to.

"Anybody that runs that fast I’m not going to tell him how to tie his shoes," he said.