BBrown: Statement From Jabrill Peppers

Submitted by Brandon Brown on

I am still 100% committed to the University of Michigan and that is the place where I want to go to college.  With the rumors about Coach Hoke possibly not being there I need to make sure that I have options and have seen other places in case the University of Michigan decides to go in a different direction.  For the sake of my future I need to make sure I have other options.  No need to look into it any further! Go Blue and beat TDS

Ryno2317

November 26th, 2013 at 4:28 PM ^

Jesus Christ.  Now we are bashing Carr?  The guy who -- unlike Bo -- actually won a national title?  I wasn't on this site then, however, I can only imagine the vile things you guys were saying about Carr from 03-07. 

MGoMarc

November 26th, 2013 at 4:08 PM ^

I've seen this happen. There's a certain breed of man that starts this. I would call it the High School Football Creeper. All towns have them and they are easy to spot when a star prospect comes on the scene. They have no affiliation or favorite team. They all look the same: baseball cap, sunglasses, goatee, hoodie under a windbreaker and pale jeans; age 45-60. They're generally friendly until you start talking to them and you realize they are insane. They think they know everything about football so they try to be a part of the process so they can feel important. And they are telling anybody who will listen, "I don't why he would go to Michigan when they're gonna fire that coach of theirs."

Gob Wilson

November 26th, 2013 at 4:04 PM ^

He wants to play quality ball on a quality team and be coached up by a professional. Nothing more, nothing less. Of course he should look around if we can't manage it here. We are not managing it now. It's about results and how our program is trending.

denardogasm

November 26th, 2013 at 4:26 PM ^

Do you really not understand that you're compounding the problem?? This is total bullshit. The kid said he's going to look around or backups in case Hoke gets fired, which is totally consistent with his only reason for questioning us last year after some Buckeye trolls started a similar rumor. Instead of taking things at face value you're bashing the program and supporting his decision. People should realize by now that the Internet is no longer a safe place to say whatever you want if you're truly interested in the health of the program. Recruits look on here and don't realize the posters don't actually know shit or have any pull. Media buffoons look on here for a sense o the state of the culture and program. We've seen this very blog cited by major news outlets before. Enough with the goddamn negative hyperbole already.

Gob Wilson

November 26th, 2013 at 4:40 PM ^

My roots are very deep for Michigan. But it is naive to think that this young man has the passion for Michigan football right now that we do. If he does come to UM, and I hope to god he does, he will be devoted like we are and forever. But until then it is natural for him to want to understand all the options.

Rabbit21

November 26th, 2013 at 4:11 PM ^

Nope, he's gone. I appreciate his perspective and the reasons for it, but he's gone, this is the first step of a long decommitment.



Classy statement with understandable motivation and I wish him the best.

CR509

November 26th, 2013 at 4:16 PM ^

Not a chance Hoke gets fired this off-season. He will be forced to make a few changes to the staff on the offensive side of the ball, but he's not getting richrod'ed.

twgolf19

November 26th, 2013 at 4:21 PM ^

Why did he feel the need to make this announcement the week of the Ohio game? In case it goes so bad and Brandon might actually consider firing him??? Weird timing to me.

blueblueblue

November 26th, 2013 at 4:22 PM ^

1. Hoke will be given at least one more year. That's axiomatic. 

2. Yet, Hoke has to give hope. At this point, firing Borges is the only way he can do this. Winning this weekend and the bowl game might save Borges, because it offers hope. Otherwise, Borges is gone. 

3. Anyone blaming the fanbase for reacting to the team's embarassing play this year is just immature. Its really a dumb position. Nobody - Brandon, Hoke, Borges, Coleman - nobody expect fans to not complain. It's the very passion that gives rise to complaints that pays the program's bills and puts money in it's coffers. Passion is antipodal - it takes life just as much as it gives it.

DefenseWins

November 26th, 2013 at 4:30 PM ^

This is what the madness surrounding the fanbase results in.  Instability is what causes recruits to rethink everything.  I'm as frustrated as everyone else, but the attacks on Hoke are over the top for me.  This is his third year, and we have had nothing like Rich Rod level cratering.  I want the offensive staff to be shaken up, but beyond that, I still believe in Hoke, which seems to be a minority view on the board of late.

We need to relax and give Hoke a litle more time.  Patience is difficult, I get it, but I think that's what is required right now.  Chill out; it's not like we didn't have seasons like this, record-wise, under LC, or Bo for that matter.  The manner in which it has happened has been ugly, no arguments there.  But we've been here before, and, in my opinion, we are nowhere near as low as we were during Rich Rod's first two years.  Stability is important right now, and patience with Hoke is what is needed at this time.

MDot

November 26th, 2013 at 4:44 PM ^

I dont think the fanbase is what caused this. More than likely people in his ear, not to mention ESPN feeling the need to group Michigan's problems with Florida's problems for whatever reason.

 

Saw this coming from a mile away, though, and I'm sure others did, too. Put yourself in his shoes, why would you be confident coming here right now? All of the criticisms we've had for this program the past few weeks, you think recruits don't/think feel the same? They're thinking, "is this staff going to put me in the best position to succeed?", and right now, no recruit can feel confident about that. He's doing what he should do. Same reason Hand switched up...you can't blame these guys.

 

Bottomline, if Michigan finishes strong (highly unlikely, but not impossible), he stays. If they bomb against OSU & Bowl Game, he leaves.

DefenseWins

November 26th, 2013 at 4:59 PM ^

That's correct, I made a mistake in saying the fanbase.  I meant the negativity surrounding the program, of which we as fans have a very small role to play.  In this technology-driven universe, I do think a site such as this can lead to media picking up on the sentiment of the fan base, and searching for negative stories/angles that way.  I'm not saying it is the reason, but it has a small role in that.

As for our staff, for a defensive player, GMAT is as good as it gets aside from Saban, in my humble opinion.  But the instability surrounding the coaching staff (just offensive staff?) and general feel of the prorgram right now is leading to all of this.

DetroitBlue

November 26th, 2013 at 9:21 PM ^

That is so asinine I don't even know what to say. The idea that recruits are cooling on michigan because message board posters are upset, and not because of the terrible performances every week since ND and the blithering incompetence of the coaching staff, is a whole new brand of stupid.

bluenectarine

November 26th, 2013 at 4:34 PM ^

Jabril was talking to Bo Scarborough (committed to Bama) when he said he was going to take some visits too. Well, maybe what happened is that Bo had a GREAT time (wink wink) at UCLA (TVH said that was school he was interested in visiting) and told Jabril to check it out and Jabril answered that way and now he is simply trying to soften the visit...As I have already said...Jabril is all BLUE!!!

bigfan2959

November 26th, 2013 at 4:40 PM ^

Anytime you are performing as badly as Michigan and Hoke has been, you make yourself vunerable to rumors.  I am certain that he and many other recruits are hearing them out there, and because of the poor performance recently, it gives them some possible validity rather or not there is any truth to them. 

I think that is why Dave Brandon made the statement about our still having the opportunity to have a terrific season before the Iowa game.  That statement was probably as much to reassure recruits that Hoke still has the backing of the Athletic Department and that his job is safe.  Unless he plans to can him I imagine we will hear a similar statement after the Ohio State game.  He will probably need to.

I can compare how rumors can stick to here to the JFK assassination.  Even assuming there was only one lone gunman, Lee Oswald, with the assassination of Oswald, it just on those basic facts leaves open the possibility of a conspiracy.  Because you had the assassination of the assassin, an undeniable fact, especially in a police station, it has left open all sorts of speculation about a plot that can be supported by the facts.

In the same way, when you have the basic facts of this poor performance, it leaves open all sorts of speculation regarding Hoke's job security.