Ask Jabrill Peppers what position he plays, and the Michigan defensive back/linebacker/running back/receiver won't have a direct answer for you.
"I'd just say 'athlete.' I don't really get into specifics," Peppers answered when asked how he'd handle such an inquiry at the Wolverines' media day in August. "I try to stay under the radar, so if they don't know I play football, they wouldn't know."
But as his five-minute stroll from Michigan Stadium to the Al Glick Field House practice facility later that afternoon found itself interrupted no fewer than four times by autograph seekers and picture-takers, the reality for Peppers may have set in: Whether he likes it or not, he is now one of college football's biggest stars, a player whose unique ability on the field is matched only by his one-of-a-kind personality off it.
"He's seen some things from an early age," Wolverines head coach Jim Harbaugh said at Big Ten media days in July. "He has used it, not to let him get down, but he's used that as motivation. All those things combined, that is a powerful combination."
So when Peppers opened his Twitter mentions on Saturday night to find a fan of rival Ohio State taunting him over Buckeye safety Malik Hooker's third interception of the season, perhaps it's easy to see why the Michigan star player took the opportunity to tee off.
"Troll the trollers," Peppers would later add.
Troll the trollers, indeed.
If Peppers is going to receive a reprimand for his social media use, it's unlikely such a lecture will come from the office of his head coach. Since arriving in Ann Arbor nearly 21 months ago, Harbaugh himself has made a habit of engaging in social media warfare, which thus far has included subtweet-filled controversies involving the likes of Alabama's Nick Saban, Georgia's Kirby Smart, Tennessee's Butch Jones and Ohio State athletics director Gene Smith.
"Usually I subscribe to the 'sticks and stones will break my bones, but words will never hurt me' philosophy," Harbaugh said when pressed on his Twitter activity at Big Ten media days. "And when somebody talks about somebody you love or something you love or makes a personal attack, then you have a right to shoot one back over their bow."
So in a sense, Peppers is just following program protocol—the new poster child for the oft-debated idea of a "Michigan Man" who has long been tied to his school. Take a shot at a Wolverine nowadays, and it shouldn't take long for you to hear back. If Saturday night was any indication, Harbaugh's swagger is even more ingrained in his players in his second season at the helm of his alma mater.
For Peppers, the most electric attributes of his head coach seem to stand out more than they do in most.
Dating back to his recruitment out of Paramus Catholic in New Jersey, there's always seemed to be something special about the 5-star prospect, who committed to Michigan's 2014 class by way of an improvised rap song.
On the field, nobody seemed to know what position he was going to play. Was he a corner? Was he a safety? Could he play offense?—but the expectations for the No. 3 player in the 2014 class were arguably as high as they've been for any prospect in Michigan history.
"I wrote several times leading up to his signing day that he would be a Heisman [Trophy] candidate," 247Sports director of recruiting Steve Wiltfong told Bleacher Report. "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."
He may not be a Heisman candidate quite yet, but two games into the third season of his college career, Peppers has lived up to his reputation.
After taking a medical redshirt due to a leg injury in his freshman season, Peppers burst back onto the college football scene a year ago in Harbaugh's first season on the Michigan Stadium sideline. Playing at an All-Big Ten level on defense as a safety, Peppers showed flashes of being one of the Wolverines' most dynamic offensive players as well, totaling 151 yards (79 receiving, 72 rushing) and two touchdowns on 26 touches.
What position did Peppers play? Still, nobody seemed to know. Depending on the play, he could be a running back, receiver or even a Wildcat quarterback.
"If we put him on our offense, I think he would be our best slot receiver. If you put him at running back, he would give all of our running backs a run for their money. He could be the best running back; he's our best Wildcat quarterback," Harbaugh said.
"I've always thought of NFL players as the greatest athletes in the world. I truly believe that, having watched them from very close up. And I truly believe Jabrill Peppers has that opportunity to be one of the greatest athletes in the world."
Rather than simplifying his responsibilities for his redshirt sophomore season, Harbaugh has only added to his star player's workload.
With defensive coordinator Don Brown coming on board, the Michigan staff has experimented with using Peppers as an outside linebacker, a position which produced big numbers for Brown in previous stops at Boston College and Connecticut. It's early, but thus far the results have been promising, with Peppers tallying 13 total tackles, four for a loss, and a sack in the first two games of the 2016 campaign.
He has yet to play offense this season—last year, he didn't go both ways until the midway point of the campaign—but there simply aren't many players capable of the versatility Peppers displays on a weekly basis. And while it may make him one of his sport's most intriguing players, for Peppers, it's nothing new.
"I've been doing this since Pop Warner and into high school, and they trust me to do it now," Peppers said. "That's just how I look at it. I don't look at it as, 'He can do this, he can do that.' I'm just playing football. Everything is football for me."
That extends off the field as well, as we saw on Saturday. Despite being well-aware of the attention he receives, it's now apparent that Peppers isn't afraid to bite back as college football's most storied rivalry often spills into social media.
Twitter has long been a tool of expression for Peppers, who a year ago ripped the NCAA over its treatment of athletes and the lack of benefits provided to players. Oftentimes, his tweets are in good nature, but as he showed on Saturday when he went back at Buckeye fans, when he has something to say, he isn't going to be shy about it.
Don't expect Harbaugh to take issue with his star safety's willingness to put himself front and center, either.
If anything, he's following his head coach's example.
Ben Axelrod is Bleacher Report's Big Ten lead writer. You can follow him on Twitter @BenAxelrod.
Unless noted otherwise, all quotes were obtained firsthand. Recruiting and class ratings courtesy of 247Sports' composite ratings.
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