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Obligatory Jabrill Peppers Section
Superstar cornerback Jabrill Peppers recently came out and said that he wants to be even better than Charles Woodson was in college. Chuck knows that you can't set the bar any higher, and he loves Peppers' attitude:
Charles Woodson on @jabrillpeppers 'I want to better than Woodson' comment -- "I LOVE it! You gotta think like that"
— Sam Webb (@SamWebb77) May 17, 2013
Woodson's confidence is one of his greatest assets, and it looks like Peppers has the same trait.
While we're on Peppers, it doesn't look like he even visited Penn State this past weekend. This could be wrong, but I have yet to see any indications that he actually went on the trip with his high school teammates. If he didn't go it obviously means Penn State is done for, but they're probably done for anyway. Peppers decides on the 26th on ESPNU, in case you forgot.
Situation at Corner Could Change
Michigan is still very much in the driver's seat for four-star Illinois corner Parrker Westphal, but a familiar school could creep up and challenge the Wolverines:
Stanford has visited several times, per Westphal's account, but a catch-22 looms.
"I honestly have no clue," he said of the latest on Stanford's recruitment. "They visited three times within two weeks, but then a few questions popped up. They don't accept early grads, but it wasn't set in stone [that I graduate early]. Then they want me to come out to camp and get an offer. So far, I have no clue. So they say they're interested, but then ask the tough questions."
Could their decision to slow play Westphal be linked to them waiting on Jabrill Peppers? Who knows. We do know that he plans on making a decision before his season starts, so the Cardinal better come through soon if they want to pull Westphal from the clutches of Greg Mattison's hands.
Parrker isn't the only high-level, non-Peppers corner out there who is seriously considering Michigan. Consensus four-star corner Jalen Tabor has a new top eight:
Final 8 UMD, Vandy , Florida , Alabama , UT , FSU , Michigan , Ohio State ! #Blessed to have this opportunity ! I Thank God For everything
— #⃣1⃣ (@HesSuchATEEZ) May 18, 2013
I still think Michigan gets both Westphal and Peppers, but things could change if Stanford comes through with an offer not long after Peppers decides to go blue, which could lead to an increase in interest from Tabor. We'll see.
General Notes and Multimedia Items
Five-star defensive tackle Andrew Brown will visit Michigan this summer. He'll see Ohio State, Alabama and Florida as well; Virginia is still ahead by a mile.
Incoming defensive back Delano Hill has deceptive speed, as documented by his former Cass Tech teammate Mike Weber:
Congrats on Delano Hill the 100m regionals champ 10.7
— Mike Weber (@mikeweber25) May 17, 2013
Apparently Hill will get a look at the corner position before ultimately being moved to safety. I'm not into this throw-everyone-who-looks-like-a-safety-at-corner-until-they-fail thing, but hey, Ed Reed or something.
The previously mentioned Jalen Tabor was named the best cover corner of the Rivals Camp Series:
No player at any of the 15 RCS events was better in coverage than Tabor was at the Richmond event. Tabor's intensity was obvious as he took as many reps as possible just to show that nobody could beat him. His explosiveness when driving on the ball helped him make sure no passes were completed in front of him, and his ability to turn and run with receivers made it very difficult for any downfield passes to be completed.
The young man can ball, and he'll compete on day one in college.
Rivals also teased us with some hints about their new Rivals 100 and Rivals 250 releases. Da'Shawn Hand should maintain his number one ranking, but it would be cool to see Peppers overtake him.
The staff extended an offer to little-known prospect Hjalte Froholdt nearly two weeks ago, and Michigan State and Ohio State have pulled through as well. At this point it's more than a coincidence that Urban Meyer swoops in and offers every under-the-radar prospect that Michigan finds.
Finally, Michigan commit Wilton Speight went all the way to California to get some reps in at the Elite 11 Camp:
I love the kid's attitude, but he has some work to do in terms of mechanics.