Butt, Lewis, Peppers Earn All-America Honors from SI
12/10/2015 12:00:00 AM | Football
Dec. 10, 2015
ANN ARBOR, Mich. -- Junior cornerback Jourdan Lewis, junior tight end Jake Butt (first team) and sophomore cornerback Jabrill Peppers (second team) of the 17th-ranked University of Michigan football team were recognized as part of Sports Illustrated's All-America team, the publication announced on Thursday (Dec. 10).
Jake Butt Season Highlights
• Named the Big Ten's Kwalick-Clark Tight End of the Year and a first team All Big Ten honoree.
• Semifinalist for the John Mackey Award given to the top tight end in the nation.
• Second among all U-M pass-catchers with 48 receptions; ranks third with 620 yards this season, and has also hauled in three touchdowns.
• Ranks fourth in single-season receptions (48) and third in yards (620) for his efforts this season.
• His 89 receptions rank fourth all-time in U-M tight end history, and his 1,066 yards rank fifth among all Wolverines to play the position.
• His career-high eight receptions against Utah (Sept. 3) were the most by any U-M tight end since Jay Riemersma had nine catches against Michigan State in 1995.
• His 56-yard reception against Rutgers (Nov. 7) sparked a career-high 102-yards receiving and earned him the John Mackey Tight End of the Week Award (Nov. 11).
Jourdan Lewis Season Highlights
• Also named a first team All-American by USA Today and first team All-Big Ten (coaches and media) as a defensive back and honorable mention (media) as a kick returner.
• His 21 pass breakups this season set a new single-season program best, topping the previous mark of 18 shared by Marlin Jackson (2002) and Leon Hall (2006).
• His 31 career PBUs are fourth most in school history. Hall is the all-time leader with 43 PBUs in his career.
• Among those 21 PBUs, Lewis has hauled in two interceptions. His second pick was returned 37 yards for a touchdown against Northwestern (Oct. 10), aiding the last of U-M's three consecutive shutouts earlier this year (BYU, Maryland, Northwestern).
• His 49 tackles, 35 of which are solo stops, rank second among Wolverine defensive backs (Jarrod Wilson; 59).
• He has posted a team-high 15 kickoff returns, totaling 378 yards for an average of 25.2 yards per return. His long of 55 came late in the fourth quarter in a win at Penn State (Nov. 21), which helped set up a late-game touchdown to ensure the victory over the Nittany Lions.
Jabrill Peppers Season Highlights
• Finalist for the Paul Hornung Award, presented annually to the most versatile player in the FBS. He started on defense and special teams while contributing on offense as the regular season progressed.
• All-Big Ten honoree at defensive back (first team; coaches and media) and as a kick returner (second team; coaches, honorable mention; media).
• In 12 games, Peppers played a combined 986 snaps this season, with 50 coming on offense, 765 on defense and 171 on special teams.
• Named Big Ten's Thompson-Randel El Freshman of the Year; the fifth Wolverine in program history to earn that honor, joining Charles Woodson (1995), Anthony Thomas (1997), Steve Breaston (2003) and Mike Hart (2004).
• Primarily as a cornerback, helped anchor the defense that ranks third in the nation in pass defense and fourth in total defense.
• With Lewis and Peppers both earning conference honors, this year is the first time since 1997 that Michigan has had at least two secondary players named first team all-conference in the secondary; Charles Woodson, Marcus Ray and Andre Weathers were named by the coaches to the first team.
• Totaled 45 tackles, 5.5 tackles-for-loss and 10 pass breakups (ranks 15th in program history).
• Bolstered a unit that ranks second in the FBS with 28.4 yards per kick return by returning 17 punts for 194 yards (11.4 yards per return) and eight kickoffs for 223 yards (27.9 yards per return).
• Hauled in eight passes for 79 yards, and added 18 carries for 72 yards and two touchdowns as an offensive contributor. Altogether, he has gained 568 all-purpose yards this fall.
Communications Contact: Dave Ablauf, Chad Shepard
