Jabrill Peppers had an amazing reaction when he got the call and found out he could end his college career as a Heisman winner.
Despite finishing with a 10-2 record, this season has been a disappointment for Michigan fans. They’ll be playing in a high-profile bowl game against Florida State, but the goal was the College Football Playoff, and they fell short of that when they lost in agonizing fashion to Ohio State. But if there’s one thing that they can boast over Buckeyes fans, it’s that they have a Heisman Trophy finalist.
Jabrill Peppers, Michigan’s do-it-all man and a player Jim Harbaugh has repeatedly called the best he’s ever coached, was one of the five finalists for the Heisman Trophy. While he’s hardly someone who gets emotional, he let it all out when he received the call that he’ll be going to New York:
While he’s certainly happy, the rest of the country isn’t. The inclusion of Peppers, and two Oklahoma players, has been a hot-button subject. While Peppers was great, Jonathan Allen was probably the best defensive player in the country. It also doesn’t make much sense to have him in over Jake Browning, but his poor performance in the Pac-12 Championship Game probably made it an easy call.
It just makes it seem like Lamar Jackson’s Heisman win is an inevitability. The person that can probably challenge him the most at this point is Deshaun Watson, since there was only one other defensive player that’s won a Heisman. And while Charles Woodson also went to Michigan, he won a national championship in his Heisman Trophy year, while Peppers won’t get the chance to compete in it.
Next: Top 15 College Football Players Who Never Won Heisman
Still, being included among the final five should boost his draft stock considerably. He’s already well regarded, seeing as how he’s got prolific stats, and is an incredible athlete. But the number of snaps he plays on a per-game basis makes some concerned that his legs will fall off by the time he gets to the NFL.