Jabrill Peppers named Michigan football's Most Valuable Player

Peppers named MVP at Tuesday's Michigan football bust

Jabrill Peppers has been filling his trophy case throughout the month of December, and Tuesday night, he added another honor to the list.

Peppers was named Michigan football's Most Valuable Player at the team's end-of-season banquet. He beat out Amara Darboh, Wilton Speight, Jourdan Lewis and De'Veon Smith to earn the honor.

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Earlier this month, Peppers was named to the All-Big Ten First Team, along with earning Linebacker of the Year, Defensive Player of the Year and Return Specialist of the Year in the conference. He was also a first-team All-American and won the Paul Hornung Award and Lott Trophy.

Peppers wasn't at the Michigan football bust Tuesday because he was making up a final exam he missed during the Heisman process, according to Harbaugh. 

Peppers played multiple positions on offense and defense in addition to returning punts and kicks. He made 66 tackles, 13 tackles for loss and three sacks this season. He also caught his first career interception in Michigan's last regular-season game against Ohio State.

Since his arrival in Ann Arbor, Peppers has been one of the best punt returners in the country. This season, he returned 21 punts for an average of 14.8 yards, scoring one touchdown. He also returned 10 kickoffs for 260 yards.

Offensively, Peppers took on an increased role as a junior. In 27 carries, he picked up 167 yards and three touchdowns.

Despite playing primarily on defense, Peppers was named a Heisman Trophy finalist and finished in fifth place nationally for the award. He was Michigan's first Heisman finalist since Chris Perry in 2003.


About the Author:

Derick is the Lead Digital Editor for ClickOnDetroit and has been with Local 4 News since April 2013. Derick specializes in breaking news, crime and local sports.