Tag: Jabrill Peppers

5 Defensive Players to Watch in Michigan’s Spring Game

LB Mike McCray II

Michigan held some open practices in Florida and another at Ford Field last Saturday, but for many, the spring game will be the first opportunity to see the Wolverines in person or at least in action. I posted some notes on the defense earlier this week (LINK), and here are the top five defensive players I’ll be watching at 6:00 p.m. on Friday night:

LB/S Jabrill Peppers
It’s no surprise that Peppers would be first on my list. He might not be Michigan’s best

defensive player, but his athletic abilities outstrip those of everyone else on the team. Peppers spent most of his time doing drills at SAM linebacker last Saturday at Ford Field, but when the Wolverines lined up for scrimmage action, he also played safety. The 6’1″, 208-pounder will line up at the line of scrimmage in a 9-technique, over slot receivers, or back deep in coverage. There’s reason to believe he will be a big-time playmaker, so prepare to be impressed when things go live.

Hit the jump for four more players to watch.

read more

Ford Field Open Practice: Defense, Special Teams

Noah Furbush

Yesterday, I posted my thoughts on Saturday’s practice regarding injuries, offense, and a few walk-ons to watch (LINK). Today I’ll address what I saw from the defense.

DEFENSIVE END
Depth: Chris Wormley, Taco Charlton, Chase Winovich, Lawrence Marshall, Reuben Jones, Carlo Kemp
Scoop: Wormley spent some time both outside and inside, and we already know what to expect from him. In fact, a lot of the starters seemed to be going about 90%, because going 100% would just be unfair. The defensive line was handling the offensive front pretty well. Charlton is a physical freak, and it looked like he spent some time at both Anchor (strongside end) and weakside end. Winovich was my surprise of the day, because he definitely looked like he belonged on the field. In fact, he was working so hard coming off the edge that a bit of a brawl started when Kyle Kalis chucked him to the ground after a play. Winovich uses good leverage and can bend well, and I think he’s going to see some time. Marshall didn’t do anything special, and I think he needs to add weight and become a strongside end; he just doesn’t have the quickness or instincts to be an edge rusher, in my opinion. Jones looked decent and competitive, but I think he’s probably another year or two away. Kemp has moved from linebacker – where he was a poor fit, in my opinion – to defensive end. In fact, both Jones and Kemp were working at linebacker in Florida, but neither one worked with the linebackers on Saturday. Shelton Johnson is nursing an injury and did not practice. Maurice Hurst, Jr. had an ankle injury that was making him gimpy, and he was playing some Anchor at times but was ineffective (more due to injury than a lack of ability).

Hit the jump for the rest of the defense.

read more

Ford Field Open Practice: Defense, Special Teams

Noah Furbush

Yesterday, I posted my thoughts on Saturday’s practice regarding injuries, offense, and a few walk-ons to watch (LINK). Today I’ll address what I saw from the defense.

DEFENSIVE END
Depth: Chris Wormley, Taco Charlton, Chase Winovich, Lawrence Marshall, Reuben Jones, Carlo Kemp
Scoop: Wormley spent some time both outside and inside, and we already know what to expect from him. In fact, a lot of the starters seemed to be going about 90%, because going 100% would just be unfair. The defensive line was handling the offensive front pretty well. Charlton is a physical freak, and it looked like he spent some time at both Anchor (strongside end) and weakside end. Winovich was my surprise of the day, because he definitely looked like he belonged on the field. In fact, he was working so hard coming off the edge that a bit of a brawl started when Kyle Kalis chucked him to the ground after a play. Winovich uses good leverage and can bend well, and I think he’s going to see some time. Marshall didn’t do anything special, and I think he needs to add weight and become a strongside end; he just doesn’t have the quickness or instincts to be an edge rusher, in my opinion. Jones looked decent and competitive, but I think he’s probably another year or two away. Kemp has moved from linebacker – where he was a poor fit, in my opinion – to defensive end. In fact, both Jones and Kemp were working at linebacker in Florida, but neither one worked with the linebackers on Saturday. Shelton Johnson is nursing an injury and did not practice. Maurice Hurst, Jr. had an ankle injury that was making him gimpy, and he was playing some Anchor at times but was ineffective (more due to injury than a lack of ability).

Hit the jump for the rest of the defense.

read more

Poll results: Who was Michigan’s 2015 MVP?

Zach Gentry, Shane Morris, and Jake Rudock

Several weeks ago, I posted a poll asking, Who was the MVP of Michigan’s 2015 season? Here were the results of the poll:

QB Jake Rudock:

77%

WR Jehu Chesson: 9%

CB Jourdan Lewis: 9%

S Jabrill Peppers: 2%

TE Jake Butt: 1%

Other: 1%

DL Willie Henry: 1%

DL Chris Wormley: 1%

(Yes, I realize that because of rounding, the percentages add up to 101%.)

My vote went to Jake Rudock, who struggled early but played extremely well during the second half of the season. With any other quarterback on the roster leading the team, Michigan wouldn’t have approached 10 wins, in my opinion. I don’t know if the same can be said about any other individual player.

What’s your argument for your pick?

Spring Football Preview: Linebackers

online pharmacy aciclovir online with best prices today in the USA

Ben Gedeon (#42) and Mike McCray II (#9)

Projected LB starters: SAM Jabrill Peppers (RS So.), MIKE Ben Gedeon (Sr.), WILL Mike McCray II (RS Jr.). It’s sad to say that this might be the last time we have a chance to see Jabrill Peppers in a Michigan uniform. A defensive back prospect coming out of high school, Don Brown seems to want him to play outside linebacker like Steve Brown did back in 2009. Gedeon is the only true, experienced linebacker returning from last year; he started one game last season and has 70 tackles, 5.5 TFLs, and 2 sacks in his career. McCray is more of a question mark. Listed at 6’4″ and 242 lbs. last year, he missed the whole season with a shoulder injury. In three years on campus – including a freshman season when he was injured and took a redshirt – he has 2 tackles and 1 blocked punt to his name. However, when the team took the field on Monday morning, he was reportedly the first WILL linebacker on the field.

Hit the jump for more on the linebacker position.

read more