The Wolverine: Covering University of Michigan Football and Sports
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game and reports persisted from prac- tices the Wolverines lacked both deep threats and playmaking talents on the outside. The secondary and defensive line, on the other hand, showed them- selves to be capable units in the spring game, the front line putting consistent pressure on U-M's quarterbacks and the secondary featuring an aggres- sive, physical style that greatly con- tributed to the receivers' struggles. With three starters back from last year 's defense — Countess, Lewis and senior safety Jarrod Wilson — plus the anticipated participation of redshirt freshman Jabrill Peppers at safety, and throw in depth at both the safety and cornerback positions, the defensive backfield might just con- tend for the title of best in the Big Ten. What did the media think of the Maize and Blue this spring? The Wolverine sought feedback from the beat writers covering the Michi- gan football team, asking them a se- ries of questions on the condition of anonymity. When asked who they felt the sur- prise performers of the spring were on offense and defense, the nine re- spondents voted overwhelmingly for junior quarterback Shane Morris and redshirt freshman outside linebacker Lawrence Marshall. Early buzz in the spring centered on redshirt freshman Wilton Speight and true freshman Alex Malzone, and Morris appeared to be losing his grasp on any shot to start at quarterback, but while Speight faded, and Malzone battled ups and downs, Morris hit his stride over the final two weeks of spring ball. Still, when we asked the media if the starting quarterback job was Ru- dock's to lose after what they saw in the spring game, all nine voters an- swered, "Yes." The 6-4, 238-pound Marshall red- shirted a year ago, but will see plenty of snaps this fall in a pass-rush spe- cialist role. He could be good for two to three impact plays per game. Junior tight end Jake Butt and Pep- pers garnered the greatest percentage of votes for the offensive and defen- sive players poised for breakout sea- sons. Butt is a prototypical pro-style tight end (6-6, 248 with good hands, speed and athleticism) in a prototypical of- fense. The Michigan single-season record for receptions by a tight end is 53 (Bennie Joppru in 2002) and Butt could challenge that mark be- cause of his skill set, but also because the receiver position appears to be a weakness and the junior might evolve into the Wolverines' go-to target of- fensively. Peppers is the obvious and logical choice, though can he possibly live up to lofty, and maybe impossible, expectations for the 2015 season? He may be a once-in-a-generation physi- cal talent, but he's still a freshman (albeit a redshirt) with limited game experience, and there will be growing pains. But if there is a legitimate reason to be excited about the 6-1, 205-pounder it is this: his coaches rave about him. They think they have something spe- cial brewing in Peppers.