The Wolverine: Covering University of Michigan Football and Sports
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12 THE WOLVERINE FEBRUARY 2017 INSIDE MICHIGAN ATHLETICS 3 Wolverines were included in ESPN NFL Draft analyst Todd McShay's ranking of the top 32 players in the draft (updated Jan. 9). Safety Jabrill Peppers checked in at No. 8, while defen- sive end Taco Charlton ranked 13th and cornerback Jourdan Lewis 27th. In McShay's first mock draft (updated Dec. 13), Peppers went No. 4 overall, while Taco Charlton (No. 26) and Lewis (No. 28) were also projected first-round picks. 6 Is Michigan's current rank in the final fall standings for the 2016-17 Learfield Directors' Cup, an all-sports champion- ship between Division I in- stitutions. The Wolverines are currently the second- highest team from the Big Ten. The strong start is thanks to a runner- up national finish from women's cross country, ninth-place showings from field hockey and volleyball, and a 10th- place ranking from football. Men's cross coun- try and women's soccer have also contributed points so far. 6.7 Overnight rating for Michigan's loss to Florida State in the Orange Bowl, marking the highest for any bowl game on any network — broadcast or cable — that has aired on or be- fore Dec. 30 of that bowl season since 2001, a group that includes 600-plus contests. That rating was the second-best non-semifinal New Year's Six game since the in- ception of the College Football Playoff (nine games) and the best ever for the first game of the New Year's Six. 8 Wolverines were included in ESPN NFL Draft expert Mel Kiper Jr.'s top-10 positional rankings of all draft-eligible pros- pects, which was last updated Jan. 12. Jake Butt was the No. 3 tight end, Taco Charlton was the No. 4 de- fensive end, Chris Wormley was the No. 9 defensive end, Ryan Glasgow was the No. 9 defensive tackle, Ben Gedeon was the No. 8 inside linebacker, Jourdan Lewis was the No. 8 corner- back, Jabrill Peppers was the No. 2 safety and Kenny Allen was the No. 8 kicker/punter. In Kiper's Dec. 14 rankings, Khalid Hill was the No. 3 fullback and Mason Cole the No. 3 center, but both are coming back for their final year of eligibility in Ann Arbor. 12 Years new U-M passing game coordinator Pep Hamilton spent in the NFL, starting off as a pro personnel intern in 2002 for the Baltimore Ravens and moving his way up to be the Indianapolis Colts' (2013-15) and Cleveland Browns' (2016) offensive coordinator. The only time he wasn't in the league since 2002 was when he coached wide receivers (2010) at Stan- ford under Jim Harbaugh and was later the offensive coordinator and quarterbacks coach (2011-12) at the school under David Shaw. 19 Percent of his pass-rush snaps played, redshirt junior defensive tackle MAURICE HURST JR. recorded a quarterback pres- sure, which tied for the best rate among all interior defensive linemen in the coun- try, according to Pro Football Focus. 28-2 Was Tom Brady's record-breaking touch- down-interception ratio this regular season, breaking Nick Foles' 27-2 mark set in 2013. 2006 Was the last time the Wolverines (No. 8) finished in the top 10 of the Associated Press poll until this season; U-M checked in at No. 10 of the final top 25. $1,400,000 Is what FOXSports.com's Bruce Feld- man reported defensive coordinator Don Brown's salary will be close to af- ter agreeing to a five-year extension Dec. 31. The $880,000 he made in 2016 already made him the high- est-paid assistant in the Big Ten, but if his new annual compensation is $1.4 million that would tie for third among all assistant coaches in 2016 pay, according to a database com- piled by USA Today. By The NUMBERS PHOTO BY PER KJELDSEN