The Wolverine: Covering University of Michigan Football and Sports
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1. LB Jabrill Peppers — Peppers was the team's most prominent player in 2016, and for good reason. Under new defensive coordinator Don Brown, Peppers played a hybrid linebacker role that put him in position to make plays all over the field. The redshirt sophomore led the Wolverines in tackles for loss with 16, and his 72 total stops were good for third on the team. Against Colorado, Peppers brought back a punt 54 yards for a score for the first return touchdown of his career. He recorded another career first against Ohio State, notching an interception. Along with his de- fensive performances, Peppers played a role on offense as an occasional ball carrier and wildcat quarterback, and his multi-faceted success earned him the 2016 Paul Hornug Award as the nation's most versatile player, while he finished fifth in Heisman voting. Pep- pers was also a unanimous first-team All-American and was named the Big Ten's Defensive Player, Linebacker and Return Specialist of the Year while earning a spot on the top all-conference squad. 2. CB Jourdan Lewis — For the second year in a row, Lewis was one of the most feared corners in college football. He earned first-team All-Big Ten honors, as well as first-team All-American recognition from the Walter Camp Football Founda- tion, Sports Illustrated, Sporting News, the American Football Coaches Association and the As- sociated Press. The senior was also named the Big Ten's Tatum-Woodson Defensive Back of the Year. Lewis had 25 tackles in 2016 and posted 11 passes broken up, giv- ing him 39 in his career for the all-time Michigan record. He also had two interceptions, including a spectacular one-handed, leaping catch against Wisconsin, which helped the Wolverines pull out the narrow 14-7 victory. 3. WR Amara Darboh — Darboh led the Wolverines in recep- tions (57), receiving yards (862) and receiving touchdowns (seven) in his fifth-year senior sea- son. He earned second-team All-Big Ten honors and ended with career with a catch in 33 straight games, the fourth-longest streak in school history. Darboh also finished his career ninth on the school list for receptions with 151. Darboh left his mark on the 2016 season with his performance against Michigan State Oct. 29. He had a career-high 165 receiving yards on eight receptions. His yardage total was the second most in school history against the Spartans. Darboh also scored the game-winning touchdown against Wiscon- sin on a 46-yard reception. 4. DE Taco Charlton — Charlton stepped into the spotlight on Brown's defense, notching a career-high 43 tackles, 13 tackles for loss and 9.5 sacks, which led the team and ranked 14th in the nation. The senior defensive end started 11 games for the Wolverines and tallied at least one sack in each of his last four games. Charlton was named first-team All-Big Ten by the coaches and media, and had his best performance in the biggest game of the year by notching nine tackles and 2.5 sacks against rival Ohio State. 5. QB Wilton Speight — Though it was just his first year starting for Michi- gan, Speight made it clear that he was the right man for the job in 2016. The redshirt sophomore connected on 204 of 331 throws (61.6 percent) for 2,538 yards with 18 touchdowns and just seven interceptions. A late-season injury forced Speight to miss the Indiana game, and a struggling Michigan offense was able to total just 59 passing yards. Speight was named a Davey O'Brien Quarterback Award semifinalist and Michi- gan's Most Improved Player by the coaching staff. He also made the coaches and media All-Big Ten third team. 1. Amara Darboh vs. Michigan State — The fifth- year senior wide receiver used one of his best per- formances to help bring U-M its first victory in East Lansing since 2007. His career-high 165 yards (on eight receptions) were the most by a Michigan receiver against the Spartans since Braylon Edwards had 189 yards and three touchdowns in 2004. 2. Wilton Speight vs. Maryland — Speight threw for a career-high 362 yards and connected on a ca- reer-long pass — a 56-yard completion to freshman running back Chris Evans — in a 59-3 rout of the Terrapins. He was 19-of-24 passing (79.2 percent) with two touchdowns and no interceptions. He also ran the ball three times for 16 yards and a score. 3. Chris Wormley vs. Central Florida — In the sec- ond game of the season, the Wolverines had no trou- ble dispatching the Knights, winning the game 51-14. The beat-down was due, in part, to the play of fifth-year senior defensive end Chris Wormley, who was second on the team with seven tackles, including 1.5 tackles for loss and one sack. He also blocked two kicks in the game. 4. Chris Evans vs. Rutgers — Evans was a revelation for the Wolverines at running back season, and the true freshman was able to showcase all his talent in Michigan's crushing 78-point victory over Rutgers. Originally recruited as a wide receiver, Evans car- ried the ball 11 times for 153 yards against the Scarlet Knights, both career highs. In addition to averaging 13.9 yards per carry in the game, he had a career-long 57-yard run in the third quarter. 5. Ben Gedeon vs. Colorado — The fifth-year se- nior linebacker was all over the field in Michigan's third game of the season. He had a team-leading 14 tackles against Colorado and was credited with 0.5 sacks for a loss of three yards. Gedeon and the rest of the Michigan defense limited the Buffaloes to just 64 net yards on the ground. Fifth-year senior wide receiver Amara Darboh torched the Spartans for a career-best 165 yards on just eight catches to help U-M to a 32-23 victory. PHOTO BY PER KJELDSEN Redshirt sophomore linebacker Jabrill Peppers finished fifth in the Heisman Trophy voting. PHOTO BY LON HORWEDEL TOP FIVE INDIVIDUAL PLAYERS TOP FIVE INDIVIDUAL GAME PERFORMANCES THE WOLVERINE 2017 FOOTBALL PREVIEW ■ 143