The Wolverine: Covering University of Michigan Football and Sports
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THE WOLVERINE 2016 FOOTBALL PREVIEW ■ 103 mind he is," the coach pointed out. "That's the kind of kid he is. When he steps on the field, he's all business and all ball. His intelligence lets him do all those different things for this defense. "He's football smart. He really is. I think it's going to be a big plus for us, moving him around a little bit. And his firm position, Sam linebacker, is going to really help the defense." The boss himself affirmed Peppers gives Michigan everything it needs for a potential big-time playmaker. "He plays at an athletic level that is so very, very high," Michigan head coach Jim Har- baugh said. "We saw what he could do last year in terms of picking up a new position. It's seamless for him. He's very intelligent and he's so competitive. He's got it all. Ath- letic ability and awareness, you'd say those are the two most important things after sheer competitiveness. "He's got them all at the highest level." Harbaugh depends heavily on his defensive coordinator to put together a lock-down crew on that side of the ball. When D.J. Durkin left to become Maryland's head coach, he went out and hired the best available. Brown can oversee a scheme that has heads spinning, and Peppers should be a key com- ponent in that effort, according to Harbaugh. "Don's got the eye and knows his system, he knows the kind of player he's looking for there," he pointed out. "I think it's a great fit. That position does so many things. It covers in man and in zone. It's in run fits and blitz tempo. It'll be exciting to see all the different places Jabrill can line up." Peppers admits he's gone through a matur- ing process on his way from five-star prep icon to third-year Wolverine, battling with massive linemen and real-world college-life issues. The fishbowl at Paramus (N.J.) Catho- lic was one matter. Playing your games at Michigan Stadium — with 110,000-plus in the stands and mil- lions more watching on television — is some- thing else altogether. The attention seems endless, and that's been an adjustment, he acknowledged. "It's a double-edged sword," Peppers said. "I didn't ask to be in this position, but I've got to live it. I've got to be the best role model that I can be, but also remain me and just block out the negativity." Peppers is extremely positive about many aspects of the months to come, most involv- ing Michigan's defense. He insists it will be special, and he knows he'll play an integral role in it. He has more incentive than most. His last on-field memory isn't the gutting of the Gators, but a sour second half against Ohio State, in which the Wolverines couldn't con- trol Buckeyes quarterback J.T. Barrett and a runaway offense. If any Michigan defenders require extra motivation to prepare for the season ahead, they can simply snap on that R-rated (for Regrettable) movie. Peppers knows it can be different this sea- son. He's well aware of the steps up the Wol- verines can make, even following a 10-win season and a resounding bowl victory. He doesn't care about the all of the details, although he's learning them assiduously. "It doesn't matter where you put me," he said. "I'm going to give you 100 percent … it comes down to competitiveness, a will to win. All of us will do whatever we have to do to win." The bottom line, Peppers stressed, remains the same: "Hit the quarterback, get the ball back." As the Hellfire missile in Michigan's muni- tions rack, Peppers won't lack opportunity. ❏ Don Brown: Peppers Is Just Different Something special unfolded before Michigan defensive coordinator Don Brown's eyes, when he watched redshirt sophomore linebacker (and more) Jabrill Peppers move about the football field. Like a time-hardened skater observing Wayne Gretzky work a serpentine ballet down the ice, Brown scrutinized with a knowing appreciation. Now, the new DC gets the chance to tinker. With someone like Peppers, the options aren't scarce. " We've tried to take advantage of Jabrill's strengths," Brown said. "One of his strengths is he's a really bright, articulate football player. He can decipher tons of scheme. "What we found is we can give him a bunch of jobs, and he can function within each one of those jobs we give him. The guy is a multi-talented guy, and he can play a number of positions, so we're going to let him do that." Brown didn't get hired until last December, but he insists it required almost no time at all to realize how quickly Peppers could pick up what he was laying down. "It didn't take long," Brown said. "We went in with the plan, 'Let's throw it at him and see if he handles it.' What we found was he was able to go into the meeting room, listen, go out to the practice field and translate it to the practice field. "Trust me, there were somewhere between 15 and 18 jobs we gave him. He was functioning at a high level on all those jobs. I think the sky is the limit for the guy. He's a physical guy. He's big enough to confront the big receivers, even tight ends. He's fast, so he uses that to his advantage. "I've found him to be a solid pressure guy, a guy we can use on the edge. He can do a lot of stuff — so we're going to let him." Coaches tend to be comparison averse, but Brown drew a distinction between Peppers and others he's used in the past for the role the third- year Wolverine stands ready to take on. "I've had three or four guys that are very, very interesting," Brown said. "He's interesting in the fact that he has a wide variety of skill sets, and he's a DB by trade that can come down and function in and out of the box, which is hard to find. "He stands off by himself. I've been able to take guys that are linebackers and let the secondary coach work with them. Those are guys with coverage skills. This guy is a safety/corner who goes the other way. It's interesting to see him going about his business. "But he's been fun to coach and fun to watch." — John Borton Peppers' uniqueness is shown by the preseason All-America honors he has received despite changing positions prior to the 2016 campaign — he was named a first-team linebacker by ESPN, a second-team linebacker by Athlon Sports and a first-team returner by Sporting News. PHOTO BY PER KJELDSEN "When he gets the ball in his hands, it's like a video game. He's just a special, special player, who also has the attitude to go with it, and the swagger. … He's got a personality that's infectious, and the rest of the team will follow." MICHIGAN RADIO'S ON-FIELD REPORTER DOUG KARSCH