A.J. Pearson (image via 247 Sports)
Name: A.J. Pearson
Height: 6’0″
Weight: 197 lbs.
High school: Johns Creek (GA) Northview
Position: Safety
Class: Fifth year senior
Jersey number: #18
Last year: I did not rank Pearson. He played in three games and made 1 tackle.
Pearson is a walk-on safety who has made exactly one tackle in each of the past two seasons. He hasn’t done anything to show the potential of a Jordan Kovacs, but he has apparently earned the coaches’ trust to be a special teamer and capable backup. This spring he got a lot of playing time when Michigan was low on safeties, but three pretty solid players return (Dymonte Thomas, Delano Hill, Tyree Kinnel). Michigan is thin at the position, so Pearson might get some run, but he won’t be a key player except perhaps on special teams.
Prediction: Backup safety, special teamer
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Whoa. I think this is quite low. Our Safety depth is shallow and unproven. That’s a position where guys have to rotate sometimes. I think Pearson is going to play some meaningful snaps and also be in a lot of 4th quarters of already-decided games.
I’d like to think that he’s replaceable but the reality is that he is probably going to be trusted ahead of true freshman alternatives in some situations. For example, let’s say two of our top 5 DBs are banged up (likely to occur at some point) and we’re in Dime personnel late in a game protecting a lead. It may be a freshman CB in there, or it may be Pearson.
Maybe guys like Hudson and Kinnel are ready to surge ahead of him (and I agree that they should be ranked higher in this countdown than Pearson), but I think there are situations where Pearson will play for sure. As a 5th year senior with a lot of years under his belt I think he’s going to play a role.
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I think he’s likely to play, but what’s the drop-off between him and another backup? You’ve got Jeremy Clark, Brandon Watson, Tyree Kinnel, Khaleke Hudson, Jabrill Peppers, etc., who are all safeties or have experience at safety. So how valuable is Pearson when you have a half dozen guys who can play in his place? I think not very much.
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Not saying that Pearson is ahead of those guys,but that they’ll all be needed. Last year Michigan had 7 different guys start in the secondary and injuries weren’t unusually bad. 6 DBs is the bare minimum you need – more likely that 8 or more play very meaningful snaps.
Clark I think is locked in (and needed) at CB and not a real option at S unless things go real badly or a freshman CB is lights out and knocks him out of the way (unlikely.) Same for Peppers, who they need at SAM and nickel until proven otherwise.
Kinnel seems like the 3rd Safety and will be an important player regardless of injury.
Those guys (along with Lewis, Stribling, and Hill) make up your top 6 DBs, keeping in mind that Peppers will get used a lot in other roles, so you really need a 7th guy for sure.
Even if he sticks through the fall (rumors), I don’t think Watson is a legit option at safety.
Pearson’s relevance depends most on how ready Hudson is. If he and Kinnel are both ready and able then I agree that Pearson’s role is minimal if he’s the 5th safety. But if Hudson can’t be fully relied upon to be a responsible in coverage, then Pearson will have a real role. I’m buying into the Hudson hype fully, and believe he’s an elite talent. BUT, there’s a huge difference in trust for a freshman DB and 5th year guy. Even Lewis and Woodson got beat at times as freshman and CB is easier than safety.
Especially early in the year, if/when Michigan needs a 4th safety Pearson is that guy. Imagine this scenario. It’s the 4th quarter of the Penn State game and Michigan is clinging to a 16 – 10 lead. PSU has the ball at their own 10 with 60 seconds to go. Peppers is sick and Thomas turned is his ankle. Kinnell has filled in capably for Thomas most of the game but now Michigan needs 6 DBs in for their dime package to save the game. Lewis, Stribling, Clark, and Hill are all in. Who are your other 2 guys? Do you fully trust Hill and Clark to be deep safeties? Are you OK with a true freshman with the pressure on?
I would bet Pearson is in the game in a situation like that, maybe even just with 1 guy missing.
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This goes back to my theory about “there’s safety in numbers.” If there are multiple guys who CAN contribute at roughly the same level, then none of them is very important. Ryan Glasgow is a good nose tackle, but the presence of Bryan Mone and Maurice Hurst, Jr. makes Glasgow less important. I’m not buying Pearson as being very important when you can’t really make a good argument that he’s better than Hudson, Kinnel, Clark, Peppers, Watson, Jordan Glasgow, or some other combination of players wiggled around to make them fit back there.
In the past Michigan has inserted slot corners like Leon Hall and Courtney Avery with a good deal of success. If Peppers were needed at safety, then it’s not out of the question for someone like David Long to play some slot corner. Let’s say Dymonte Thomas and Delano Hill both get hurt at the same time. Plug in Tyree Kinnel and Jabrill Peppers at safety, leave Lewis and Stribling at corner, and let Jeremy Clark play in the slot at “SAM.” Or put Clark at safety instead of Peppers, and you can leave Peppers at SAM. Or be like Jim Herrmann/Ron English and put David Long in the slot and run more of a traditional nickel package. Would there be growing pains with a freshman at slot corner? Maybe. But like I said, Leon Hall and others have done okay in the past playing as third corners.
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It’s kind of funny to find myself on the opposite side of the positional flexibility argument with you.
I’m not saying Pearson is a primary backup, but he’s in the next tier of guys who matter at positions with lots of rotation if a injury or two happen in large group of guys. Our starting secondary is elite, but beyond the top 6 (including Peppers) it’s extremely inexperienced. Kinnel is there too, but beyond him him you’re talking freshman and position changes.
Pearson is a security blanket. I’d put him somewhere in the low 50s, not the low 70s.
I think you can argue that Pearson is better than Watson and Glasgow at Safety on the basis of having played the position and being a 5th year guy. Clark I think is locked in at CB, since he’s FAR more effective there than at S or nickel. I think Michigan could try to put Stribling, Lewis, or Long into the Peppers role and playing Watson or Hill at CB instead, allowing Peppers to slide back to safety. but there’s a cost to moving a bunch of guys to new positions. A domino effect that might alter play-calling. At some point though you have to consider if moving 2 or 3 guys around is worth it or if you live with lesser play at one spot.
Peppers is a special player and his role is unique. I’m not sure there’s a logical backup for him and Michigan may lose a lot by moving him back to safety. I might prefer Lewis move actually (since freshman could more plausibly play CB).
The specific changes that would happen depend on who is injured, when they are injured, and how long they are injured. I can think of a lot of reasonable situations where there are 2 guys down from our secondary and Pearson is called upon before the other less-experienced options.
The bottom line is that safety depth is unproven for this Michigan team (even Peppers would face a learning curve). Pearson is viable answer if problems arise. Hopefully he isn’t needed but if he is at least he seems to have a little experience under his belt.
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“Even if he sticks through the fall (rumors), I don’t think Watson is a legit option at safety.”
Care to elaborate?
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There have been rumors that he and HS classmate Canteen may not be back. Canteen status is more public. Watson hasn’t played in 2 years and probably won’t again this year. With impressive freshman recruits on the way…
Would be bad for M since we lose our top 3 CBs next year. Hopefully he sticks.
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