The Wolverine: Covering University of Michigan Football and Sports
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sive backfield coach Vance Bedford transforming Woodson in three weeks worth of 1995 Michigan fall camp. Woodson still had a lot to learn, and Peppers is in that same boat, but the skills are there, Ray pointed out. "Jibreel is almost ready made," he said. "That's why I say he's leaps and bounds better than Charles as a corner- back coming out of high school." SETTLING ON A SPOT Cornerback doesn't appear to be Peppers' destination, though, as a true freshman. The nickel opportunities have been spoken about repeatedly, with some discussion of the rookie see- ing time at strong safety as well. Michigan has what it considers three very strong cornerbacks in redshirt ju- nior Blake Countess, senior Raymon Taylor and sophomore Jourdan Lewis, while sophomore Channing Stribling is coming on after battling through some hard knocks last year as a true freshman. Junior Jarrod Wilson looks like a lock at one safety spot, but there are questions about who plays beside him. Peppers gets a shot at being an an- swer, Ray predicted. The former stand- out safety also sees Peppers growing beyond nickel duties as the year goes along. Most-Spotlighted Recruits Delivered Divergent Results Recruiting excites fans every year, mixing high school highlights with poten- tial unblemished by struggles at the collegiate level. Every five-star performer could be the next Desmond Howard, Charles Woodson, etc. Often, they are not. As recruiting coverage has grown, there are enough examples of prep stardom not fully translating onto the college stage to keep close observers grounded. Here are Michigan's five most-hyped performers since the beginning of the latest iteration of Rivals.com (2001) and their fortunes in Ann Arbor and be- yond. 1. Ryan Mallett — Mallett came to Michigan in the class of 2007, a 6-6, 235-pound, rocket-launching quarterback out of Texarkana, Texas. He threw for more than 7,800 yards and 70 touchdowns in high school, and brought a Rivals. com five-star, can't-miss tag to Ann Arbor. His timing proved less than fortuitous. He appeared in 11 games as a true freshman backup, throwing for 892 yards and seven touchdowns. But that season proved the final one for U-M head coach Lloyd Carr, who gave way to Rich Rodriguez and the spread offense, leading Mallett to transfer to Arkansas. He threw for more than 7,400 yards and 62 touchdowns as a Razorback, and wound up being drafted in the third round by the NFL's New England Patriots. Mallett has seen limited action behind Tom Brady in New England. 2. Chad Henne — Henne arrived as another Rivals.com five-star quarter-