The last time that a defensive player won the Heisman trophy it was a Michigan Wolverine. Charles Woodson, a defensive back to be exact. Maybe the next time that it happens, it’ll also be a Michigan star, who also plays DB (among other things) in Jabrill Peppers.
Good ol’ #5 began his UM career as a DB but now he’s moved on to doing that and so much more. Michigan Coach Jim Harbaugh listed out everything Peppers can, should and does do for the Wolverines this preseason. You can read the very long quote.
Peppers, like Woodson before him, also makes his impact felt on both offense and on special teams too. Today, Woodson has retired and now moved on to making ridiculous attention grabbing, click-bait statements as a NFL Analyst while Jabrill Peppers seems poised to become truly “the next big thing.”
Following Michigan’s 78-0 win over Rutgers, in a game where you have to do a double take and then a triple take on the box score, Harbaugh discussed Peppers in detail.
Harbaugh on Jabrill Peppers ability to do many things and not overburden him: “That’s something you have to take into consideration. He’s so good at it fortunately most of the time. He wasn’t taking any hits. Did he look that way to you? He was so athletic and so fast. It was really, really impressive. Gosh, if there’s a better player in the country, I don’t know who it is. I know there’s a lot of great players out there, but this guy, to be able to coach a guy like Jabrill Peppers is a real joy. There’s so much more. There’s nothing he can’t do. It’s the darndest thing I’ve ever seen. My humble opinion is we are looking for a Heisman trophy winner, candidate.”
“Jim Thrope, it just came to me. Only player I can think of comparing Jabrill to.”
On the play of Jabrill Peppers and Chris Evans: “We put some plays in for (Peppers) last week where he was operating as a quarterback and then more this week, because he’s just so darn good at it. That was really the turning part of the game, I thought was his long run. The first downs were coming hard. It was looked like it was going to be one of those nights. His speed was dramatically different than everyone else on the field.
Chris Evans, he showed early he was going to be tough to bring down. He was lightning fast and quick tonight. To me, that’s what broke the game open was Jabrill’s and Chris’ play. Chris said something really interesting in practice. He didn’t say it to me, he said it to my dad and Al Glick. He later told me that, quote from Chris Evans, ‘it’s a sin to be good, when you are sent to be great.’ That was really profound. He was really dynamite tonight.”
Rutgers is a de jure B1G team, but not a de facto B1G team. They are in the conference, technically but in reality they’re a very very bad group of five conference team. Still, Jabrill Peppers did what he had to do; as did his teammates. The hurting they put on the Scarlet Knights is the kind of hurting that Rutgers deserves.
More postgame reaction after the THRASHING of Rutgers
Michigan linebacker/defensive back Jabrill Peppers
On his performance: “Whenever you get the balls in your hands you just wanted to make something positive happen. Today God had his hand on me today on some of those plays. I just have to give it up to the blocking and the coaching scheme. They set the guys up in positions to excel so we just went out there and handled business today.
On his reaction of the score at the end of the game: “Just wow. I’ve never been part of a victory this massive. But you still have to handle it with class and just keep improving for the next week. You can’t stay on your high horse. Our game against Rutgers is over so we just have to prepare during our bye week for the game after that.”
Michigan linebacker Ben Gedeon
On Jabrill Peppers possibly being a Heisman winner: “Jabrill is such an impressive athlete. To play next to him and to watch him play, it’s just fun to watch.”
On Jabrill Peppers’ speed: “Yeah his half speed is a lot of guy’s full speed. You can tell that in practice and you saw it tonight in some of those routes. He’s got a different speed, a different gear.”
Michigan and Ohio State look to be en route to turning their final weekend of the regular season meeting into a de facto playoff game. The winner is likely in the final four, while the loser, if they finish 11-1, could actually be in as well. If certain things fall that way with the PAC 12 and Big 12, it could happen. It’s a throwback to the Big 2, little 8 era.
And if Michigan does have that kind of banner season, you know who that headliner, front and center star player will be- Jabrill Peppers. Yes, it’s very difficult for a non-running back, non-QB to win the Heisman, but if anyone can it’s probably Michigan’s “Swiss Army Man.”
Paul M. Banks runs The Sports Bank.net, partnered with FOX Sports Engage Network. and News Now. Banks, a former writer for the Washington Times, currently contributes regularly to the Chicago Tribune’s RedEye publication and Bold Global.
He also consistently appears on numerous radio and television talk shows all across the country. Follow him on Twitter and Instagram and Sound Cloud.