Jabrill Peppers' Impact Proving He's a Worthy, Albeit Unlikely Heisman Contender

Even though you may not realize it, Jabrill Peppers always seems to be making an impact.

With one minute, 38 seconds remaining in the first quarter of his team's Saturday afternoon showdown with Penn State, Michigan running back De'Veon Smith rumbled down the field for a 39-yard gain, starting what would be an otherwise forgettable nine-play, 64-yard drive in the Wolverines' 49-10 victory over the Nittany Lions.

The star of the series, however, wasn't Smith, quarterback Wilton Speight or freshman tight end Devin Asiasi, who capped the drive with a three-yard touchdown reception.

Rather, the player who stood out most was the one who most often does for the Maize and Blue, as a fake handoff to Peppers was what first froze the Penn State defense, springing Smith for the big gain in the Big House.

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De'Veon Smith with a 39-yard carry after a fake jet sweep to Jabrill Peppers. pic.twitter.com/SsFznwttjT

— Evan Petzold (@EvanPetzold) September 24, 2016"

"He's the defensive Christian McCaffrey," ABC analyst Brian Griese later said during the broadcast, comparing Peppers to the Stanford standout and Heisman hopeful.

A quick glance at the stat sheet would show a steady, albeit unspectacular performance for the Wolverines safety/linebacker, who has also doubled as an offensive decoy this season. Peppers tallied five tackles on defense, and he didn't record an actual touch on offense.

He did, however, return a first-quarter punt 53 yards, setting up Michigan's first score of the afternoon.

Moreover, anyone who watched the game realized Peppers' impact extended far beyond the box score.

For at least the second consecutive week, the former 5-star prospect was the best player on the field, his impact apparent in all three phases of the game. A week ago, the 6'1", 205-pounder stole the show in the Wolverines' comeback 45-28 victory over Colorado, returning a key punt for a touchdown, tallying six tackles—3.5 of which came for a loss—and a sack, as well as 24 rushing yards.

Dave Reginek/Getty Images

"I can't think of another player like Jabrill. I know there's not another player I've coached like him," Wolverines head coach Jim Harbaugh said earlier this week.

"The unique thing is all the positions. If you start counting them, it'd be safety, it'd be corner, it'd be nickel, it would be outside linebacker, it would be slot receiver, it would be Wildcat quarterback, running back, kick returner, punt returner, gunner, hold-up. That's 11 or 12 right there, and I know there's others he could do and do well."

We're only one-third of the way through the 2016 season, but at the least, Peppers is beginning to form a strong case for consideration for this year's Heisman Trophy. And with the No. 4 Wolverines' start-to-finish pummeling of Penn State, he's only bolstered the argument, as Michigan appears to possess all the makings of a legitimate national title contender.

After all, the first and only time a defensive player has won the Heisman, it happened to be a Wolverine on a national title team.

When it comes to Charles Woodson's Heisman-winning 1997 season, some parallels have emerged in Peppers' own chase for the Stiff-Arm Trophy. Like Peppers, Woodson primarily played defense—and like Peppers, he did so at an elite level—while also being featured sporadically on offense and special teams throughout Michigan's last national championship season.

Unlike the eventual NFL great, however, Peppers will likely see an increased role on offense in the coming weeks as the competition increases in Ann Arbor. That could start as early as next week, with the Wolverines' welcoming of No. 11 Wisconsin, which is coming off an impressive victory with Saturday's 30-6 mauling of No. 8 Michigan State in East Lansing.

Whereas Woodson played just enough offense to maintain a prominent place in voters' minds, Peppers' ability with the ball in his hands—or even just as a decoy—has proved monumental to Michigan's scoring ability.

It doesn't always show in the stat sheet, but few players mean as much to their respective teams as Peppers does to the Wolverines, who put together their most complete effort of the season Saturday.

In 1997, Woodson tallied 246 yards of offense and three touchdowns as a receiver/rusher. A year ago, Peppers totaled 151 yards and two scores while being featured on offense for half the season—numbers he could eclipse in this year's remaining eight regular-season games.

"I wrote several times leading up to his signing day that he would be a Heisman candidate," 247Sports' director of recruiting Steve Wiltfong told Bleacher Report this summer. "I thought he would make an impact as a two-way guy. But in addition to being a Heisman candidate, the reason why I said it was because you have to be polarizing also if you're on defense, and I knew he would be polarizing.

DUANE BURLESON/Associated Press/Associated Press/Associated Press

"[2012 Heisman runner-up and former Notre Dame linebacker] Manti Te'o was polarizing, and Jabrill Peppers is polarizing, too. They play at high-profile schools with huge fanbases, with a lot of media coverage. Jabrill Peppers is going to be tough to keep away from the Heisman ceremony."

Make no mistake: Peppers is far from the Heisman front-runner. Through the first four weeks of the 2016 season, Louisville quarterback Lamar Jackson has dominated that conversation, while McCaffrey and Ohio State quarterback J.T. Barrett each possess more traditional profiles for college football's most prestigious individual award.

But as his last two showings have proved, Peppers is equally capable of taking over a game—with or without the ball in his hands.

With the high-profile contests remaining on UM's slate, Peppers' rise to prominence should only continue. Already, he's beginning to make a heck of a case—one that must look awfully familiar to those who witnessed Woodson in Ann Arbor 19 years ago.

Ben Axelrod is Bleacher Report's Big Ten lead writer. You can follow him on Twitter @BenAxelrod.

Unless otherwise noted, all quotes were obtained firsthand. Recruiting and class ratings courtesy of 247Sports' composite ratings.