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Hello: Donovan Peoples-Jones
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Same. [Isaiah Hole/247Sports]

Donovan Peoples-Jones was billed as the next Detroit-produced superstar practically from the moment he set foot on the field for Cass Tech as a freshman in 2013. If anything, he surpassed those lofty expectations during a superlative high school career that culminated last month in a state championship blowout of Catholic Central—Peoples-Jones led the way with six catches for 119 yards and a touchdown.

In the interim, his reputation reached near-mythical status as absurd feat of athleticism after absurd feat of athleticism went viral. Here's Peoples-Jones fooling around on Vine in the summer before his sophomore year:

Here he makes a 52-inch box jump look effortless in front of Devin Gardner and several stunned onlookers:

Here he dunks over a small village:


The small village reacted accordingly.

He won the PSL title as a junior with a 10.93 100-meter dash. He ran the anchor leg on Cass Tech's state title-winning 4x100 relay and state runner-up 4x200 relay.

Yes, that athleticism translates to the football field. Here's his go-ahead touchdown catch with 25 seconds left in this year's state semifinals:

Despite possessing so much natural physical talent that he could probably skate by without doing homework for the rest of his life, he's also a straight-A student and aspiring orthopedic surgeon; reports surfaced over the summer that he was shadowing doctors at Michigan's medical school. Even for a mom quote, this is a hell of a mom quote:

“His focus and determination, sometimes, especially during football season he’ll stay up till 2 or 3 in the morning doing homework,” Rozlyn said. “I’ll ask him if he wants any help and he says no it’s my responsibility to get the work done.

“His character. I watch him every day just want to be the best. He’s taken everything I’ve put into him and multiplied it three times over. He’s just a gift. Definitely a gift. He has the kind of determination and focus, I look at him and he’s teaching me. He’s leading and guiding me. As Christian people we’re taught that sometimes the children will lead you. He’s one of those, he’s gifted.”

He was one of the foremost prospects to speak out against the short-lived satellite camp ban, too. If it's still possible to use the term "Michigan Man" without a hint of irony*, it's applicable here.

While Peoples-Jones had long been considered a heavy Michigan lean, he never let on as much publicly, which led to a dramatic final couple weeks of his recruitment. Florida State and Ohio State emerged as serious contenders. Tonight, in a nationally televised announcement on ESPN2, he chose to stay home.

[*it's not, sorry.]

GURU RATINGS

Scout Rivals ESPN 247 247 Comp
5*, #4 WR,
#32 Ovr		 5*, #2 WR,
#13 Ovr		 4*, 87, #4 WR,
#27 Ovr		 5*, 98, #1 WR,
#8 Ovr		 5*, #1 WR,
#11 Ovr

The only site that doesn't rate Peoples-Jones as a five-star (ESPN) has him ranked higher than one that does (Scout). All consider him somewhere between great and super-great; as a result, he's the top receiver in the composite rankings.

Peoples-Jones is listed at 6'2" (or 6'2.5") and 190-200 pounds on every site save Rivals (6'1", 188), which has an outdated figure—he measured in at 6'2", 200 at this year's Opening finals. While not imposingly tall, he's done a great job of filling out his frame over the last couple years; he already looks like a college wideout.

[Hit THE JUMP for what is without a doubt the longest Hello post I've ever written.]

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