Jabrill Peppers
| Michigan Wolverines No. 5 | |
|---|---|
| Position | Defensive back |
| Class |
 Sophomore |
| Career history | |
| College |
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| High school | Paramus (NJ) Catholic |
| Personal information | |
| Date of birth | October 4, 1995 |
| Place of birth | Montclair, New Jersey |
| Height | 6 ft 1 in (1.85 m) |
| Weight | 208 lb (94 kg) |
| Career highlights and awards | |
| |
Jabrill Peppers (born October 4, 1995) is an American football defensive back who currently plays for the Michigan Wolverines. A standout athlete early in high school, he was named the Air Force National Sophomore of the Year in 2011. Sports Illustrated named Peppers one of their “Future Game Changers,” a group of fourteen young athletes who are considered to be the brightest talents of their respective sports (such as Sarah Hendrickson, Jahlil Okafor, and Taylor Townsend).[1] Peppers was named the Thompson-Randle El Freshman of the Year, Freshman All-American, and a Second-Team All-American in 2015.
High school career
A native of East Orange, New Jersey, Peppers originally attended Don Bosco Preparatory High School in Ramsey, New Jersey.[2] He started as a cornerback in his freshman year, before also taking over as a running back as a sophomore. Don Bosco won consecutive New Jersey state championships in 2010 and 2011, and was ranked No. 1 in the nation by USA Today in 2011.
Peppers left Don Bosco to attend Paramus Catholic High School in Paramus, New Jersey, where he led the Paladins to another state championship over Bergen Catholic. Peppers was named Player of the Year by MSG Varsity after his junior season with Paramus Catholic. Another successful senior season saw Peppers lead Paramus Catholic to another state title, making Peppers a state championship winner in all four years of his high school career. Peppers was also selected to participate in the 2013–14 Under Armour All-America Game.
Also a talented track athlete, Peppers set the New Jersey Non-Public Class A outdoor 100-meter dash record with a time of 10.77 seconds. He has a personal best of 10.51 seconds in the 100 meters. In his senior year at Paramus Catholic, he won both the 100 and 200-meter dashes in New Jersey's Meet of Champions, becoming only the second person ever to do so in consecutive years.
Recruiting
Recruiting service Rivals.com identified Peppers as one of the five-star recruits of the 2014 class,[3] On May 26, 2013, Peppers announced his verbal commitment to the Michigan Wolverines in a live telecast on ESPN.[4] Peppers was the head of Michigan's 2014 recruiting class,[5] had an ESPN grade of 95 (on a 100 scale),[6] and was rated the second-best player at any position in the country, behind only Leonard Fournette.
College career
As a true freshman at Michigan, Peppers appeared in three games, making one start. In his first career start against Appalachian State, he recorded two tackles and returned one punt for six yards. Because of an injury he sustained against Appalachian State, Peppers was redshirted for the remainder of his freshman season.[7]
Following the 2015 season, Peppers was named the Big Ten Thompson-Randle El Freshman of the Year, and named to the All-Big Ten defensive first-team, by both the coaches and media, and the All-Big Ten special teams second-team by coaches. He was also named a Second-Team All-American by CBS Sports and Sports Illustrated.[8] He was also named to the Freshman All-America Team by Football Writers Association of America (FWAA).[9] He was a finalist for the Paul Hornung Award. In 12 games, Peppers played a combined 986 snaps this season, with 50 coming on offense, 765 on defense and 171 on special teams. On defense, he registered 45 total tackles, 5.5 tackles-for-loss and 10 pass breakups. On special teams, he returned all 17 punts on the season for 194 yards, an average of 11.4 yards per return. Peppers has returned eight kickoffs for 223 yards, an average of 27.9 yards per return, on a unit that ranks second in the FBS with 28.41 yards per kick return. On offense, he added eight catches for 79 yards with 18 rushes for 72 yards and two touchdowns. Peppers has gained 568 all-purpose yards on the season, an average of 47.3 yards per game, ranking fifth on the team.[10]
References
- ↑ http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/2012/highschool/06/25/high-school-future-game-changers/index.html
- ↑ Paramus Catholic's Jabrill Peppers longs to reunite with the father who started him on path to stardom
- ↑ https://footballrecruiting.rivals.com/content.asp?CID=1432001
- ↑ Rothstein, Michael (2013-05-26). "Top-ranked CB picks Michigan". ESPN. Retrieved 2013-05-27.
- ↑ http://www.freep.com/article/20140131/HSS/301310029/Peppers-head-U-M-s-2014-recruiting-class
- ↑ http://espn.go.com/college-sports/football/recruiting/player/_/id/163134/jabrill-peppers
- ↑ http://collegefootballtalk.nbcsports.com/2014/11/05/its-official-michigan-to-redshirt-jabrill-peppers/
- ↑ "Butt, Lewis, Peppers Earn All-America Honors from SI". MGoBlue.com (CBS Interactive). December 10, 2015. Retrieved December 10, 2015.
- ↑ "Peppers Tabbed Freshman All-American". MGoBlue.com (CBS Interactive). January 11, 2016. Retrieved January 11, 2016.
- ↑ "Lewis, Peppers Lead Big Ten Defensive Yearly Honors". MGoBlue.com (CBS Interactive). November 30, 2015. Retrieved November 30, 2015.
External links
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