24/7: Donovan Peoples-Jones - Freak athlete, A student
Mods - If Brian linked to this in his pieces on front page feel free to delete.
DPJ is a must get. One of the best athletes to come out of MI in a long time, Cass Tech, dad is a Wolverine and apparently takes his academics seriously too. Work ethic separates the great players from the very good. Nice piece by 247. OSU currently crystall ball leader but #Harbaugh. Based on Jim's recruiting tactics with that GA LB last Jan, expect a lot of visits to Verizon in the next year.
During the summer, the 6-foot-2, 192-pound Peoples-Jones proved he is the most athletic football player in the country, winning the Nike Football Rating Championship at The Opening among a prestigious group of prospects in Beaverton, Ore. The Freak ran a 4.42 40-yard dash with a 4.0 shuttle and a 42-4 inch vertical leap.
“I think the most important thing about Donovan is that he has a desire, he has a hunger and he’s always trying to strive for it which makes him a great player,” Cass Tech coach Tom Wilcher said. “He’s hungry all the time. All he wants to do is eat. He doesn’t look at it as where he is. He’s looking at it as where he wants to be at, and he can’t stop till he gets there. Once he gets there, he’ll probably have a whole different set of goals to what he wants to be.”
Peoples-Jones has a 3.9 GPA and is an aspiring orthopedic surgeon like his father. His mother Rozlyn Peoples works for Verizon and sets the tone for her son. “We’ve taught a different discipline and work ethic and honor and humbleness and it’s done well for his character,” Rozlyn said.
The only way Peoples-Jones was allowed to play football was if he performed in the classroom. He may be a better student than he is athlete, securing all As during his time at Southfield Christian.
“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.
With the maturity he displays on a daily basis, Peoples-Jones’s parents trust him to make the right decision and are letting him handle the recruiting process. That’s even with his father being a graduate of the Michigan medical school. “That’s his school,” Peoples-Jones said. “Any time you have an alma mater, a distinguished alma mater, it’s going to make a difference. He loves Michigan. He really just tells me it’s up to me wherever I want to go. It’s my life, my passion, he supports me 100 percent.”
October 14th, 2015 at 3:35 PM ^
Thank god he doesn't want to be an earthquake engineer.
October 14th, 2015 at 3:37 PM ^
October 14th, 2015 at 3:39 PM ^
This has come up several times before, and I thought the general consensus was no, but I can't confirm/deny myself.
October 14th, 2015 at 8:31 PM ^
October 14th, 2015 at 3:40 PM ^
Impressive, sounds like he would be a great addition to Michigan.
October 14th, 2015 at 3:43 PM ^
Pre-Med and football.. those are gonna be some rough summers... shudders at the thought of Dr. B's biochem class condensed in a month and a half...
:'(
October 14th, 2015 at 3:43 PM ^
work ethic, goals, and humility.
I would sure love to see him play at Michigan. Wherever he goes, good luck, young man! Your future is bright indeed.
October 14th, 2015 at 3:44 PM ^
Do want.
October 14th, 2015 at 3:46 PM ^
He seems to value academics a lot and according to several outlets, he seems to want to stay close to home. If Michigan continues to win I think he goes Blue. The kid is a must get!
October 14th, 2015 at 4:01 PM ^
While Peoples-Jones focuses on helping Cass Tech win the state championship, college programs are already giving their best effort to sign him. Peoples-Jones has been to Michigan and Michigan State many, many times. He’s no stranger at Ohio State, and he’s also been to Tennessee twice including this past weekend, along with Alabama, Miami, North Carolina, N.C. State, Notre Dame, Florida and USC once.
Wherever he ends up, I applaud him for being this thorough and studious about the decision - the drive to make an informed decision about this is a great trait indeed. From everything else in the article, Peoples-Jones would not be a bad cultural / athletic fit, if you will, in Ann Arbor at all.
October 14th, 2015 at 4:09 PM ^
October 14th, 2015 at 4:09 PM ^
Sent from MGoBlog HD for iPhone & iPad
October 14th, 2015 at 4:10 PM ^
How can any Cass Tech kids still look at OSU after the Weber debacle? How can these parents not see through this used car salesman, let alone the coaches at Cass Tech?
October 14th, 2015 at 5:29 PM ^
Damon Webb (who I believe is related to Sam Webb, it seems), is struggling down there as well. Might not be back with the team for the rest of the year.
October 14th, 2015 at 4:13 PM ^
No recruit is ever truly a "program making" guy, but I've been trumpeting it for years - DPJ is as close to a critical addition as a recruit can be. He's in the "Peppers" stratosphere and he's in our backyard.
October 14th, 2015 at 4:18 PM ^
October 14th, 2015 at 4:20 PM ^
October 14th, 2015 at 4:33 PM ^
October 14th, 2015 at 4:47 PM ^
in high gear to close the deal!
October 14th, 2015 at 5:43 PM ^
October 14th, 2015 at 8:08 PM ^
Is the Interflex program still in existence? When I was at Michigan there were two Interflex students on the football team, Kirk Lewis and Mark DeSantis.
The advantage of Interflex is that you are accepted into med school as an incoming freshman so the academic pressure is mitigated vs someone who is pre-med and then applying to med school.
October 14th, 2015 at 9:00 PM ^
obviously a lock for Alabama.
October 14th, 2015 at 9:24 PM ^
Hey, Southfield Christian! I don't hear that name every day. I went there for a few years in the 70's. I agree that this is exactly the kind of person/player that we want at Michigan. I don't just want the best players. I want the best players with character. I will be seriously annoyed if he ends up somewhere else and I will have a fit if he ends up with evil OSU. Not that this will make any difference or matter to anyone. Should I get worked up about any recruit? No. Will I though? Yes.
October 15th, 2015 at 8:40 AM ^