According to a Bleacher Report article by Brad Shepard, Donovan Peoples-Jones (DPJ) was named one of ten players that are going to shock the college football world in 2019.
Shepard laid out the criteria stating “This list is reserved for players on the cusp of stardom who simply haven’t gotten the reps yet.” Therefore, players who are already considered as emerging stars were not included such as Clemson receiver Justyn Ross and Oklahoma’s rising sophomore running back Kennedy Brooks.
One of Ten to Shock the College Football World
DPJ is listed among some pretty incredible talent. Texas linebacker De’Gabriel Floyd was first on the list and should provide an instant impact during his freshman season for a Texas team who gave up almost 400 yards of passing per game last year.
Chuba Hubbard came in at number two as he will likely be taking over for Justice Hill as the starting running back for Oklahoma State. He rushed for 740 yards and six yards per carry as a backup.
Syracuse quarterback Tommy DeVito was next as he tries to fill some big shoes. Future draftee Eric Dungey was the starter for the last four years and threw for almost 10,000 yards during his career.
Palaie Gaoteote IV made the number four spot as he begins his sophomore year for the Trojans at linebacker. In seven games as a true freshman, he tallied 19 solo tackles, 38 total, and two sacks.
Michigan’s Donovan Peoples-Jones
DPJ’s impressive freshman and sophomore season made him an obvious choice for this list where he came in at number five.
During DPJ’s first season he was among the top Michigan receivers, sitting behind Grant Perry, Zach Gentry, and Sean McKeon in receiving yards. Year two was a break out year for Peoples-Jones, he was Michigan’s most targeted receiver with 47 receptions, and second for receiving yards at 612. He complemented those awe-inspiring stats by adding eight touchdowns.
Prior to his college career, DPJ attended in-state high school Cass Technical. His 247sports rating from his high school days listed him at .9925, and he was the number one Michigan recruit and ranked 12th nationally.
His abilities were well recognized in his Prep school days where he was given such honors as being named the Michigan Gatorade Player of the Year, Associated Press first-team all-state, Detroit Free Press Dream Team, and many others.
DPJ is no dummy either, he could have made it into U of M purely based off academics. He earned a reported 3.9 GPA while at Cass Tech and he actively participated around the community. DPJ also lent his endless athleticism to Tech’s track team finishing all-state in the 4X100 meter relay and all-city in the 100 meter.
Michigan Football Hires Offensive Coordinator Josh Gattis
New offensive coordinator Josh Gattis should provide a boost to Michigan’s offensive. He came to Ann Arbor by way of Alabama and prior to that, he coached at Penn State.
Recently, head coach Jim Harbaugh informed Michigan nation he was handing over the coordinator responsibilities completely to Gattis, something he never unconditionally let go of with any of his previous coordinators.
Coach Gattis should provide Donovan and the Michigan offensive with what it needs, and what it needs was best described by former quarterback Wilton Speight when he said he was excited to see the handcuffs come off starting quarterback Shea Patterson.
Who Else Made the List?
Georgia wide receiver Demetris Robertson is number six followed by Ricky Slade, the running back from Penn State who will be replacing Miles Sanders this fall.
LSU’ Derek Stingley is number eight where he hopes to take over for the coveted Greedy Williams.
Washington’s defensive back Keith Taylor and Clemson’s defensive end Xavier Thomas round out the list as nine and 10.
The Last Word
It came as surprise to me that DPJ wasn’t excluded from this list since he is widely regarded as a star for Michigan. Nonetheless, it’s an impressive feat and some much-deserved recognition for a Michigan Man.
Main Photo:
Embed from Getty Images
