The Wolverine: Covering University of Michigan Football and Sports
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MARCH 2017 THE WOLVERINE 33 2017 FOOTBALL RECRUITING ISSUE BY JOHN BORTON D o n o v a n P e o p l e s - J o n e s comes as close as any prep player could to a can't-miss college prospect, say those who scrutinized his every move at Detroit's Cass Tech. He has the size, at 6-2, 190. He pos- sesses the leaping ability of Braylon Edwards dwarfing MSU defensive backs in a fourth-quarter comeback. Peoples-Jones broad jumps better than many NFL Combine attendees. He possesses the hands of a surgeon and the mind of a budding pre-med student. Toss in an unstoppable at- titude, and one of the newest Michi- gan freshmen becomes a potential immediate impact performer. He can even play defensive back as a receiver, according to Cass Tech coach Thomas Wilcher. "He's a kid you can isolate and still get the ball to," Wilcher said. "One thing with him — he has never, ever allowed anyone to pick a pass off of him. Even though the quarterback may not get the ball right there, he knows how to defend the ball. That's something that not a lot of people look at for a wide receiver. "He's conscious of different aspects of the game that make the quarter- back confident in throwing the ball to him. He'll have a good relation- ship with the quarterback because of that. He tells me, 'Coach, throw me the ball.' He wants the ball and he's mindful that bad passes happen and he knows he won't let an interception happen. That's a great thing right there." Cass Tech did throw the ball to Peoples-Jones, plenty. He snagged 60 catches for 1,071 yards and 17 touchdowns as a senior, averaging 17.9 yards per grab. His effort led the Technicians to a 14-0 record and the Michigan Division 1 state champion- ship, where Peoples-Jones became the MVP. That followed up a 41-catch, 1,012- yard, 14-touchdown junior season, thrusting him further onto every- one's recruiting radar. Peoples-Jones could have gone anywhere in the nation to play his college football, and visited Florida, Florida State, Ne- braska and Ohio State, in addition to Michigan. In the end, U-M afforded him more than anyone else beyond the painted- on lines of a football field. The as- piring doctor has witnessed his own father, a surgeon, practice his art, and the chance to sit in on a surgery at Michigan while visiting definitely made an impact, he said. "That was just a great experience, and there are other experiences I'm going to have here — such as going to Rome — that are just bigger than life to me," Peoples-Jones noted. "Not ev- eryone is getting a chance to do this. "I'm just very blessed and honored to be in this position." He admitted some shock upon dis- covering that less than four months after his arrival in Ann Arbor, he'd be packing up with the rest of the Wol- verines and making his way to Italy. When head coach Jim Harbaugh an- nounced the trip, players responded in wide-eyed fashion. "It was crazy," Peoples-Jones re- called. "It was like, Rome? We're going to Rome, really? Everybody needed to have passports and we're going to Rome. He made that hap- pen." Wilcher insists Peoples-Jones makes things happen on the football field, and the numbers certainly back that notion. The Cass Tech coach ex- pects the growth process to continue, especially mentally and in terms of the desire to be great. "He runs really good routes," Wilcher said. "I also think maybe the most impressive thing about him is his hand-eye coordination. He has a knack for the ball. He's really good at catching the ball and that makes him really great for me. "When he starts getting all of his tools together and he's confident in everything, he's going to be great. The key thing is just not settling. I think he can still get better and keep building confidence each day, each month and each year. "I think he can just keep working on being a great player. As long as he keeps working on making himself better, he'll be great." Wilcher revealed Peoples-Jones' broad-jumping prowess, discovered during summer testing. His star wide receiver reached roughly 10 feet, while everyone else on the team was maxing out at seven or eight. The head coach delivered a stern directive, until he garnered some perspective. Wilcher recalled: "I told the rest of the team, 'Y'all better jump farther. There's no way he can outjump ev- erybody.' I Googled up the furthest jump and he was among some of the furthest jumps in the United States. He out-jumped a lot of players at the Combine that year. I was like, 'Man, this guy is someone special.'" By the close of his prep career, Wilcher 's proclamation couldn't be disputed. Peoples-Jones earned U.S. Army All-America status and became a USA Today first-team All- American. He made all of the state's dream teams, and wound up the No. 1 high school receiver in the nation by three of the four major scouting services (he was No. 2 in the other). "Donovan is a special, special guy," Michigan offensive coordinator Tim Drevno asserted on the U-M website. "I have gotten to see him play for the last couple of years, and he is a very explosive player. He really makes plays when there are no plays to be made, purely because of his athleti- cism and competitiveness. "As a pass catcher, he has great awareness, and he has excellent in- stincts in terms of catching the foot- ball. He has great ball skills, which allow him to track the ball and pull it down, and we are excited to add him to our offense." Harbaugh doesn't come across as particularly nervous, but he insists he didn't get the news of Peoples- Jones' verbal commitment to Michi- gan in real time. "Donovan was doing his an- nouncement, and I couldn't watch it," Harbaugh said. "I couldn't watch. I was by myself in my room and had my phone there. The texts, from so many Michigan people and fans … as they say, they were blow- ing up my phone." Detroit Cass Tech head coach Thomas Wilcher "As long as he keeps working on making himself better, he'll be great." Peoples-Jones pulled down 60 receptions for 1,071 yards (17.9 yards per catch) and 17 touchdowns during his senior campaign at Detroit Cass Tech. PHOTO COURTESY RIVALS.COM