2016 Heisman Trophy: Case for and against each finalist

LB/ST Jabrill Peppers, Michigan

By far the most controversial finalist of them all. Peppers is a do-everything player that has played basically every position on the field at some point this season. At the beginning of the season, it looked like Peppers may be able to make a run at the Heisman. Since then that thought has died down.

Case for 

The case for Jabrill Peppers lies with his versatility on the football field. He plays almost every position and has a special offensive package just for him. Two of the three Michigan players to win the Heisman were a lot like Peppers. Desmond Howard and Charles Woodson were speedsters that could play both sides of the ball. At least Woodson could.

Much like Howard and Woodson, Peppers is also the punt returner for the Wolverines. He had one punt return touchdown on the year. He never really had that “Heisman moment,” this year. It’s hard for a defensive player to win the award, yet it’s Peppers array of different abilities that has probably kept him in this race.

Case against 

The case against Jabrill Peppers is probably bigger than the case for. In his three seasons at Michigan, Peppers only has one interception. The pre-season hype may have been so big that it overshadowed the fact that Peppers may not have lived up to the hype this year. There is no doubt that Peppers has tremendous talent. It would just appear that Peppers was built on hype this year. His overall offensive numbers aren’t exactly ground breaking. As a runner he had 27 carries for 167 yards and three touchdowns. That stat line is just a really good game to another running back. He also has 71 tackles on defense. That was only good enough for 32nd in the Big Ten.

Peppers just isn’t elite at anything. He is an amazing football talent who is good at doing a bunch of different things. He just doesn’t have the stats to be able to compete for this award with the others in this field.