Michigan Football: Jabrill Peppers' Greatness Highlighted

As Michigan football was on its way to beating Michigan State in East Lansing for the first time since 2007, the greatness of Jabrill Peppers was highlighted.

During Saturday’s game against Michigan State, ESPN’s broadcast relayed a story that sums up Michigan football standout Jabrill Peppers. There aren’t many college football players like him.

In a conversation with reporter Allison Williams, Peppers highlighted how he steps into special teams meetings for 15 minutes, swings over to offense for another 15, before finally focusing on defense. It’s a routine few other college players endure. But his path has always been a little different.

Jabrill Peppers was unique. You have to be if you want to make something of yourself when you grow up in Orange County, New Jersey. His mother, Ivory Bryant, summed it up best: “It’s a place of great tragedy, but also great hope.”

Peppers’ brother Don is one such example: a protective older brother who did his best to keep Peppers off the streets, only to be shot in a restaurant at the young age of 20. As if that wasn’t difficult enough, Peppers’ father was incarcerated for nearly 11 years, and he told The Players’ Tribune: “We have a good relationship, but we’re still getting to know each other again. I mean, he went away when I was seven years old and he got out when I was 18.”

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The critical moment of college football recruiting is the hat ceremony. The player sits behind a table with five caps and pulls one of them out. The crowd goes wild, the coach of the program gets a call, and the cameras move on to the next recruit. The events are so commonplace that none really stand out, save for a recruit accepting a scholarship to a school that hadn’t offered him one.

So for someone who had experienced all that, a hat ceremony wasn’t in the cards for Peppers. He went on live television, on ESPN, to do a freestyle. And the rap segment wasn’t unexpected: his song and video “Don’t Take It Personal” has just under 50,000 views on YouTube. He spoke: “I had this dream since I was seven/now I’m dream telling/to hear the fans screaming, yelling/as I walk out that tunnel, in the winged helmet.”

However, the cheers weren’t as loud his freshman year, with a record of 5-7. Adversity again, but nothing new for Peppers.

But for Michigan, the football program is expected to be great every year. The turmoil following Lloyd Carr’s retirement was testing the fan base. Michigan continued its downward trend under Brady Hoke, and frustration was mounting with the Dave Brandon regime. Personally, it wasn’t the year Peppers wanted either. He sustained an injury in the first game and was shut down two weeks later, opting to redshirt.

People would have to wait to get glimpses of his SportsCenter Top Play talent.

So Peppers needed to do things bigger, different. He cites his mother as his biggest inspiration. “When you’re doing it for something bigger than yourself,” he said on the ESPN special, “it makes you want to go that much harder.” He not only brings that attitude to family, but to his team, playing whatever position Jim Harbaugh asks of him.

Harbaugh has espoused similar qualities to his new cornerback. In his opening presser, Harbaugh stated: “I’m standing on a foundation that’s been built over 100 years by some great men. I feel like I’m standing on their shoulders. I want to do a good job. I want to be good. I want to win on the practice field, the classroom and the community.”

Harbaugh was doing it for something bigger than himself, in his own way. His personality is especially perfect for the digital and viral age, eating steaks and drinking whole milk while being a relentless maniac on the sideline. But his intensity mirrored that of his predecessors.

“When you’re doing it for something bigger than yourself,” he said on the ESPN special, “it makes you want to go that much harder.”

Harbaugh brought hope from the ashes of previous mediocre Michigan teams. The reincarnation of Bo Schembechler, he spouted the same wisdom that has made his team in the 1980s great. “Those who stay will be champions.” Those who face adversity and come out the other side will be winners.

With that as Michigan’s motto, how could Peppers have gone anywhere else?

These days, Peppers has 10/1 odds to win the Heisman trophy. While he probably won’t, thanks to the absurd numbers put up by mobile quarterbacks like Lamar Jackson and J.T. Barrett, it’s great to have a two-way player in the conversation.

Peppers always changes the conversation, and this extends to the football field. Just look at this quote Harbaugh gave MLive: “He was a running back and his assignment was to block. He got his blocking assignment done and then he continued out into a route. We threw it to him, which was not the design, but from now on — and we’ve been running this play for 10 years — (it will be).”

In Saturday’s game vs. Michigan State, Peppers rushed for 25 yards with a touchdown. His running ability allowed the Wolverines to option out of the Wildcat, including a big gain following a Peppers-to-Eddie-McDoom handoff.

On defense, he rang up seven tackles, including a sack and another tackle for loss. His biggest highlight came late in the game, taking a Michigan State two-point attempt to the house for a late safety. Just one more feather in the cap for Peppers, who completed a backflip as the clock struck zero.

Michigan is now 8-0 and a serious contender for a spot in the College Football Playoffs. Those who stay will be champions. Jabrill Peppers is putting his own twist on the tried and true Michigan motto.

Next: Top 10 running backs in Michigan history

By now, you might think you’ve heard it all on Michigan linebacker/punt returner/all-around weapon Jabrill Peppers. The College Gameday feature shows that we’re only beginning to scrape the surface with the man who’s been dubbed as the heir to Charles Woodson. He’s always experienced things a little differently.

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Michigan Football: Jabrill Peppers’ Greatness Highlighted

By Adam Renuart | Oct 30, 2016

As Michigan football was on its way to beating Michigan State in East Lansing for the first time since 2007, the greatness of Jabrill Peppers was highlighted.

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