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5-Star Jabrill Peppers Reaffirms Commitment to Michigan

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The crown jewel of Michigan's 2014 recruiting class, Jabrill Peppers, isn't going to be heisted.

Peppers, a 5-star athlete and the No. 2 overall recruit in the 247Sports composite rankings, reaffirmed his pledge to the Wolverines to WTKA-AM's Sam Webb (h/t Nick Baumgardner, MLive.com).

As Baumgardner noted, Peppers' status was in question after he suggested that he would take other visits following the conclusion of his high school season. The comments came around the time Michigan missed out on 5-star defensive lineman Da'Shawn Hand, whom Peppers was attempting to pull to Ann Arbor.

However, Peppers went on air with Webb and shored up his commitment:

I love the players, love the coaches, Ann Arbor is a happy town, a football town. I brought my mom with me, she loved sitting down with all the academic people. She's all bought in.

I'm 100 percent going blue.

One of the premier reasons Peppers was considering flipping his commitment was the status of head coach Brady Hoke. As the Wolverines traversed a rough 2013 season, rumors swirled on Hoke's job status.

With Hoke's situation uncertain, Peppers began to have second thoughts on UM. However, he was assuaged by athletic director Dave Brandon's statement that Hoke will be the Michigan boss for years to come:

(Hoke) just told me that him and Dave Brandon, the AD, they came in together and he said they're going to leave together. Dave Brandon put out a statement that coach Hoke is going to be the coach for years to come.

That was one of my main concerns ... you hear rumors surrounding the coaching staff, so you just want to be safe. It wasn't nothing too big, I didn't think it would blow up like it did.

The Paramus, N.J., native committed to Michigan in May as the top pull in a strong class. Since then, a wave of drama washed in, as it always does in the recruiting process.

However, Peppers appears to be through the drama.

"I don't think I'm going to take any more (visits), I think I'm done with it," Peppers said. "I think I'm going to stay true enough and go blue."

National Signing Day is Feb. 5, so he'll have until then to decide whether to stay blue or go elsewhere.

Read more Big Ten Football news on BleacherReport.com


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