The Wolverine

February 2020*

The Wolverine: Covering University of Michigan Football and Sports

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FEBRUARY 2020 THE WOLVERINE 35   MICHIGAN FOOTBALL "To my teammates: I love each and every one of you. You guys have cre- ated a true brotherhood environment that made me truly appreciate my time at Michigan." Peoples-Jones finishes his career with 103 receptions for 1,327 yards and 14 touchdowns. In his final game in maize and blue, a 35-16 loss to Alabama in the Citrus Bowl, he had one catch for 34 yards. The 6-2, 208-pounder was a third-team All- Big Ten selection the last two sea- sons. He caught 34 passes for 438 yards this season and returned 24 punts 173 yards this season. Bleacher Report's Matt Miller had Peoples-Jones among his top 35 NFL Draft picks overall in early January. Ruiz, meanwhile, is generally projected as a mid-round pick. He started the last two seasons at center after playing at guard his freshman year and earned second- and third- team All-Big Ten honors each of the last two campaigns. "I would like to thank the Univer- sity of Michigan for helping craft me into the man that I am today," he wrote. "It is truly an honor to be able to wear the maize and blue. I'm proud to be a Michigan Man. "I want to thank my mom, family, the amazing Michigan fans and ev- eryone that has supported me. Thank you, Coach Harbaugh, for believing in a kid from Camden; I'm forever grateful." Ruiz also thanked line coach Ed Warinner, his teammates and his "brothers" on the offensive line. "My game has evolved a lot," Ruiz said at a Citrus Bowl practice in Or- lando, Fla. "From freshman year — starting guard — to now, I feel like I matured a lot, made a lot of improve- ments in my game switching back to my normal position. "I just feel like I've improved and matured a lot in taking my respon- sibilities in becoming more of a leader." Wilson was granted a medical red- shirt after playing parts of four sea- sons, going from walk-on to scholar- ship role player in his last two years. He saw action in one game his fresh- man year, four in 2017 and earned his scholarship before the 2018 sea- son, when he became the Wolverines' No. 3 running back. He rushed for 364 yards and a touchdown on 62 carries that season, and for 221 yards and a touchdown on 44 carries while playing in 10 games this year. "I appreciate everything the Uni- versity of Michigan has done for me these last four years," Wilson wrote on Twitter. "I will graduate in the spring and will transfer to finish my last year of college football. God bless and Forever Go Blue." Spanellis, a three-time Academic All-Big Ten honoree and the recipi- ent of the 2017 and 2018 Top GPA team award, will be able to play im- mediately elsewhere as a graduate transfer. He played in 36 games for the Wolverines, 14 on the offensive line and the rest on special teams. "Don't look back, it ain't the past no more," he wrote on Instagram Jan. 1. "Excited to be starting the new year with my search for a new oppor- tunity at a new institution." Dwumfour's message was shorter. Many expected him to return to Michigan for his fifth year after he missed the Citrus Bowl following a medical "procedure," but he'll be headed to a different school instead. "My time here at Michigan has come to an end," he wrote. "These past four years have been some of the best time of my life. "… I would like to thank Coach Harbaugh, Coach [Shaun] Nua, Coach [Ben] Herb[ert] and the ath- letic training staff for all they've done for me." Kelly-Powell played sparingly dur- ing his time in Ann Arbor, seeing ac- tion in 20 games (no starts) in three years and notching seven tackles. He arrived as a safety before moving to cornerback this season and played sparingly as a junior. He and the other five join wide receiver Tarik Black (undecided on new school), tight end Musta- pha Muhammad (Houston), safety J'Marick Woods (Duke) and line- backer Jordan Anthony (undecided) on the way out. — Chris Balas MICHIGAN HIRES TWO NEW ASSISTANTS Michigan saw two assistants — linebackers coach Anthony Cam- panile and special teams/safeties coach Chris Partridge — depart for new jobs in January, but head man Jim Harbaugh wasted no time in an- nouncing replacements. Longtime defensive coordinator Bob Shoop, who has held that title at every stop since 2007, and 21-year coaching veteran Brian Jean-Mary, who has previously held the titles of assistant head coach, recruiting co- ordinator and defensive coordinator, joined the staff in mid-January. Partridge was the first to go, de- parting U-M Jan. 2 to accept a job on first-year Ole Miss head coach Lane Kiffin's staff as the Rebels' co-de- fensive coordinator. The 39-year-old Hackensack, N.J., native had been on Harbaugh's staff each of his first five years in Ann Arbor, serving in a multitude of roles during that time. Partridge first acted as Michigan's director of player personnel in 2015, before leading the club's special teams and linebackers from 2016-17. He continued as U-M's special teams coach and led the safeties unit each of the past two years, earning a repu- tation as one of the program's best recruiters in the process. Campanile departed Jan. 15, ac- cepting a position as a defensive assistant with the Miami Dolphins. Rumors had been swirling about a potential Campanile exit for weeks leading up to his eventual departure, though most of those discussions Defensive tackle Michael Dwumfour — who recorded nine tackles, 1.5 stops for loss and 0.5 sacks in 10 games this past fall — plans to use his fifth year of eligibility at another school to be determined. PHOTO BY LON HORWEDEL

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