The Wolverine: Covering University of Michigan Football and Sports
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football recruiting to outperform that ranking down the road. Defensive Tackle Bryan Mone The defensive lineman out of Salt Lake City's Highland High School was the only U-M commit who had a big slip in the rankings due to his performance at the Under Armour Game. Mone, who entered the game ranked as the No. 11 defensive tackle and No. 185 overall player nationally, was dropped to three-star status and fell out of the top 250. He displayed flashes of greatness throughout the week of practice, but due to his conditioning — he showed up at 6-3 and more than 330 pounds — he wasn't able to sustain it on a down-to-down basis. Mone He still started the game for Nitro and put in a solid performance with two total stops as a member of a defensive front that held Team Highlight to 1.9 yards per carry. Like he showed during the week in practice, his explosiveness and stamina were affected by carrying too much weight – resulting in a move down to three-star status. Mone needs to get into a college strength program and improve his conditioning. Fortunately, he was an early enrollee and will have a spring practice under his belt by the time he hits the field in the fall. Cornerback Jabrill Peppers Peppers entered the game as the No. 2 player in the nation, and the five-star out of Paramus (N.J.) Catholic backed up that ranking. In practices, he was explosive in pass coverage, physical (though the all-star game rules prevented him from using press techniques) against receivers, and even a little too eager to lay a hit in the run game. He continued that into the game and even displayed his abilities with the ball in his hands. He lined up at Wildcat quarterback for Team Nitro, completing his only pass atPeppers tempt, and returned two kicks for 65 yards. He also made three total tackles, and although he whiffed on one), he did everything expected of him in coverage for an all-star game. He even blocked a field goal attempt, but the all-star game rules prohibited it. Despite his strong performance, Texas A&M pledge Myles Garret impressed even more, and the weakside defensive end surpassed Peppers as the No. 2 player in the nation, moving the future Wolverine to No. 3. — Tim Sullivan