Top 25 Countdown: Jibreel Black
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TheWolverine.com Analyst Will Heininger: "Jibreel did a better version of what he's done every year, which is use his talent to the best of his ability. Jibreel is an undersized guy for the interior D-line, but he's quick and he gives linemen fits sometimes with that quickness.
"You see him in the backfield, and you'll see Jibreel jump out of the gap but actually make the play or disrupt it so much that it bounces outside. A lot of the negative plays he generated on defense, Jibreel was the reason that it bounced or broke down for the offense. Someone else would get the statistic, but he was the cause of the disruption.
"He was a senior this year, and he got better every year. He did what was asked of him, and he was a good pass rusher from the interior. He got pressure on the quarterback, and you'd hope some of the young guys would take that part of his game and make it part of their game."
Black's Career: Black first earned playing time as a defensive end in 2010, making his way onto the field in five games and finishing with seven tackles.
From there, his productivity and ability increased every year, and he made a seamless transition from defensive end to three-technique defensive tackle before the 2012 season.
Although he was undersized, at 6-2, 278, for his new role in the middle, Black was a consistent disruption inside, using his speed and athleticism to get the best of bigger, stronger guards and centers.
"He's gotten so much bigger and stronger," Bernie Barre, Black's high school coach, told Cincinnati.com after the 2013 season. "He's had a heck of a career. One of the things I'm most proud of is that he graduated from the University of Michigan in three and a half years. I think that's pretty impressive."