Jabrill Peppers misses Orange Bowl; source says hamstring injury
— -- MIAMI GARDENS, Fla. -- Michigan?junior Jabrill Peppers will not play for the Wolverines against Florida State?in Friday's Capital One Orange Bowl because of an unspecified injury, the school announced.
A source told ESPN's Adam Schefter that Peppers tweaked his hamstring at practice Thursday at the Miami Dolphins' team facility. Peppers practiced all week and planned to play, the source said, but after warming up in full pads at Hard Rock Stadium on Friday he decided he wasn't healthy enough to play shortly before kickoff.
The injury isn't considered serious, but Peppers needed more time to heal, the source said.
Those who know Peppers say he wanted to play and that this "is not a McCaffrey or Fournette situation," referring to Stanford's Christian McCaffrey and LSU's Leonard Fournette, who chose to sit out their bowl games in order to prepare for the NFL draft.
Peppers' absence from Friday's game was noticeable at the outset, as Florida State jumped to a 17-3 lead in the first quarter.
A Heisman Trophy finalist, he played linebacker, returned punts and kicks, and made occasional appearances on offense for Michigan this season.
Peppers has yet to announce a decision about whether he will return to Michigan next year or declare early for the NFL draft. He has two years of eligibility remaining but is projected as a first-round draft pick.
Related Stories
ABC News Live