Don't be surprised to see Jabrill Peppers at LB this fall
Yes, Jabrill Peppers is really practicing at linebacker this week.
Much of the focus of Michigan's spring practice has been the team's location (Florida). But if you look at what's happening on the field while the Wolverines are down south, you'll notice how new defensive coordinator Don Brown is already tweaking the Wolverines' defense.
One of those changes involves having Peppers, a defensive back, play at the SAM linebacker spot.
“I just think we’ve got to give this guy a bunch of jobs,” Brown said after practice Tuesday via TheWolverine.com. “He’s a dynamic athlete, so we’ll keep him around the line of scrimmage and let him do a bunch of stuff whether it’s cover, whether it’s in certain personnel groups play linebacker-type stuff. Our SAM is kind of a hybrid. Last year’s SAM had seven and a half sacks and 17 tackles for loss, and he’s out covering slots."
Brown's defense at Boston College was No. 1 in 2015. He moved to the Wolverines after former Michigan DC D.J. Durkin became Maryland's head coach.
Peppers was a five-star recruit in the class of 2014 and the No. 3 overall player in the country according to Rivals. After struggling through an injury-plagued freshman season, he had 45 tackles and 5.5 tackles for loss in 2015 as Michigan's defense was the No. 4 defense in the country. Brown said he wants to move Peppers all over the field; it wouldn't be too crazy to see him play linebacker, safety and cornerback during the same game.
“That’s the beauty of it,” Brown said. “We had a package in today when he’s in technically as a linebacker. You may think you’re getting one alignment but we can do completely different stuff, because who said he has to be there playing that position? Today he was - two days he may not. That’s how we roll.
“He’s sharp. He’s fun to work with. He’s got juice. I like guys like that. It gest you excited going to work every day.”
For more Michigan news, visit TheWolverine.com.
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Nick Bromberg is the assistant editor of Dr. Saturday on Yahoo Sports. Have a tip? Email him at nickbromberg@yahoo.com or follow him on Twitter!
