Michigan Football Early Enrollee Bio: WR Donovan Peoples-Jones

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• At Nike’s The Opening in 2016, Peoples-Jones ran a 4.45-second 40-yard dash and did the 20-yard shuttle in a time of 4.18 seconds. He also recorded a 38.8-inch vertical jump and recorded a power throw of 38.5 feet. Peoples-Jones’ testing resulted in a Nike+ Football Rating of 123.48.

• Peoples-Jones had 60 catches for 1,064 yards and 17 touchdowns in his final season. He also pulled in four interceptions, including one that he returned for a touchdown. He scored touchdowns five different ways — receiving, rushing, throwing, fumble recovery and a kickoff return — on the nation’s No. 14 team according to MaxPreps.

• He hauled in 69 passes for 1,168 yards and 18 touchdowns as a junior. On special teams, he added a 79-yard touchdown via punt return.

• As a sophomore, he had 16 receptions for 331 yards and nine touchdowns, and had two interceptions on defense.

• Named the 2016-17 Gatorade Player of the Year for Michigan; he was also named the state Player of the Year by MLive Media Group.

• Was named a first-team All-American as a senior by MaxPreps and USA Today. He earned an honorable mention from Parade.

• Led Cass Tech to a 14-0 record and a Division I state title his senior year.

• Named the USA Today Offensive Player of the Year for Michigan.

• USA Today All-USA Michigan first-team wide receiver as a senior after earning second-team honors as a junior.

• Ranked No. 1 in the Detroit Free Press Fab 50 ranking of the top senior football players in Michigan.

• 2016 Division 1-2 Associated Press Michigan Football Player of the Year and first-team All-State wide receiver.

• Selected for the 2015 and 2016 Detroit News All-State Dream Team.

• Ranked as the No.1 Blue-Chip Recruit for the class of 2017 by the Detroit News.

• Named Division I All-State wide receiver by the Detroit Free Press in 2015.

• Tabbed a MaxPreps Junior All-American in 2015.

• Special Mention (received two or more votes) All-State by the Associated Press in 2014.

• Attended the Rivals Camp Series Detroit in 2014 and Cleveland in 2015.

• Was invited to the Rivals Five-Star Challenge in Baltimore in 2015 and in Atlanta in 2016.

• Was invited to the Future 50 Under Armour camp ahead of the 2016 Under Armour All-American Game.

• Attended the Columbus regional of Nike’s The Opening in 2015 and 2016.

• Was invited to Nike’s The Opening finals in Beaverton, Ore. in both 2015 and 2016, and brought home the Nike+ Rating Championship in 2015 with a score of 149.49, becoming the first underclassman to ever do so. His 4.42 40-yard dash and 42-inch vertical were some of the noteworthy marks en route to his title.

• Participated in the U.S. Army All-American Bowl Jan. 7, 2017, and caught two passes for 22 yards.

• Committed to Michigan Dec. 14, 2016.

• Took official visits to Florida (Nov. 18, 2016), Florida State (Dec. 2, 2016), Michigan (Dec. 9, 2016), Nebraska (Sep. 2, 2016), and Ohio State (Oct. 7, 2016) and was down to the Seminoles, Buckeyes and Wolverines before pledging to U-M

• Head coach Jim Harbaugh, former passing game coordinator Jedd Fisch and former running backs coach Tyrone Wheatley were all heavily involved in Peoples-Jones’ recruitment.

• Born Feb. 19, 1999.

• Reportedly finished high school with a 3.9 GPA and plans to major in pre-medicine.

• Teamed with fellow U-M signee Jaylen Kelly-Powell to win the Division I 4x100-meter relay state championship, with a time of 42.26 seconds, in June 2016.

• Won a non-basketball dunk contest two years in a row at Cass Tech by jumping over multiple people before dunking.

• Is already on campus as an early-enrolled freshman.

Peoples-Jones should play and play often as a true freshman. As a five-star talent with all of the ability in the world, he is good enough to play as a freshman anywhere, but at Michigan he’ll have an opportunity because of Amara Darboh and Jehu Chesson’s vacated spots. He’s got the speed, size, strength, hands, intelligence and route-running ability to contribute as a freshman, plus he’s already on campus as an early enrollee.

Rivals.com West Recruiting Analyst Adam Gorney: “The top-rated prospect in Michigan and the No. 1 receiver nationally is going to play for the Wolverines, and he has the ability to make an immediate impact. Peoples-Jones is an excellent pass catcher and an explosive playmaker who could really stretch the field in Michigan’s offense. Peoples-Jones has a great, physical frame so he won’t be handled by many cornerbacks in the Big Ten. Couple that with tremendous athleticism and Jim Harbaugh could have a star in the making.”

Detroit Cass Tech Head Coach Thomas Wilcher: “I think the best thing about him as a player is that he runs really good routes. I also think maybe the most impressive thing about him is his hand-eye coordination. He has a knack for the ball. He’s really good at catching the ball and that makes him really great for me. When he starts getting all of his tools together and he’s confident in everything, he’s going to be great. The key thing is just not settling. I think he can still get better and keep building confidence each day, each month and each year. I think he can just keep working on being a great player. As long as he keeps working on making himself better, he’ll be great."

Detroit Martin Luther King Head Coach Ty Spencer: “He’s that guy that when you put the film on you’re like, ‘Okay, we’ve got to find a way to try to neutralize him.’ He’s just a dynamic athlete. There’s nothing else to say really. He’s been doing this stuff since his freshman year and he’s just a good football player. I really think he can be very good at his position and do some great things at Michigan. I think we still haven’t even seen what he can really do because Cass runs a lot of zone read concepts, so he still wasn’t getting the ball a lot. We haven’t even talked about him on special teams either. He’s fast and he’s a freak returning punts and kicks. He can really do it all in a dynamic way. I think he can be dominant. He has that attitude and that demeanor to be great too. I just know I’m glad I don’t have to play against him anymore."

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