It was the most traumatic night of his life, and also the most important.
Jabrill Peppers, the All-American, do-it-all gridiron superstar from Paramus Catholic High School in northern New Jersey, came home one January night in 2010, and immediately he knew something was wrong. His mother, Ivory Bryant, was in tears. Soon, he would be too.
His older brother Don Curtis, his mentor and hero, was gone, murdered at the Lucky Joy Chinese restaurant in Newark at the age of 20. With his father, Terry Peppers, already in prison on weapons charges, Peppers was left without a male role model in gang-infested East Orange, less than a year before he was set to begin high school.
At that moment, Peppers made a decision that would shape his life. Clutching his mother, he told her, “I’m not going to end up like my brother. Whatever I have to do to make it the right way, I’ll do.”
He has stuck to that path.
The consensus second-ranked player in the nation and a straight-A student, the dynamic 6-foot-1, 210-bound Peppers has verbally committed to the University of Michigan. If he can lead nationally ranked Paramus Catholic to a second straight state title, some believe he will end his career — which would include four state titles — as the most decorated player in the history of New Jersey high school football — a list that includes several NFL players, like Texans linebacker Brian Cushing and Ravens Super Bowl MVP quarterback Joe Flacco.
“He goes down as the No. 1 player in New Jersey [for me],” said Rivals.com national recruiting analyst Mike Farrell, who began scouting prospects in 1998.
A mixture of speed, power, elusiveness, football smarts and desire, MSG Varsity’s Mike Quick can’t remember one player in 27 years of covering high school football in the state of New Jersey who has made such an impact on both sides of the ball.
A shutdown cornerback, hard-hitting safety, home-run hitting running back, game-breaking wide receiver and Wildcat quarterback, Peppers is asked to wear many hats for Paramus Catholic, and he makes his presence felt with each one.
He scored 23 touchdowns last year for Paramus Catholic, currently ranked third in the nation by USA Today, while accumulating nearly 2,000 total yards, in addition to 77 tackles and three interceptions. Through four games this fall, he has six touchdowns and a team-high 499 total yards, 14 tackles and two picks, one for a score.
Peppers garnered the top spot on ESPN “SportsCenter’s” Top 10 plays for a highlight reel run in an August scrimmage, which immediately went viral. Peppers scored on a 30-yard scamper run in which he broke nine tackles and spun off two defenders before carrying a third seven yards into the end zone.
“He’s always one touch away from scoring a touchdown,” Quick said. “He has the biggest fear factor [of a player] I’ve ever covered.”
At the time of his brother’s death, Peppers said he wasn’t necessarily headed in the wrong direction, but it was “iffy.”
“I was doing what I was supposed to, but I was also doing things I wasn’t supposed to,” he said.
Curtis lived a life in the streets. They often talked about their two different lives, and Curtis wanted to make sure his younger brother didn’t follow his path.
“You got a little gift, bro. Get Mommy that house she always wanted,” Peppers remembered his brother saying once. “I’m doing it the wrong way. You can do it the right way.”
With his brother gone and his father in prison, Bryant was left alone to raise her son. Despite working long hours as a social worker to support, she has missed just three of his games, dating back to Peppers’ Pop Warner days.
She always stressed academics and responsibility first, before sports. Anything less than a B-plus means no football. His sophomore year, Peppers received a C-plus in Spanish, and Bryant held him out of a game. The coaches tried to change her mind. Peppers cried. Bryant wouldn’t budge.
“I needed to make my point,” she said. “He got that B-plus the next time, and he’s maintained his grades since.”
Peppers’ talent is just a part of his complete package, which is why Quick said “he’s the most unique athlete I’ve covered.” A standout student who sports a 4.0 GPA, he’s also an aspiring rapper — rhyming about football, girls and his everyday life — and is a state champion sprinter.
He’s released a few songs under the name “JReall” and announced his commitment to Michigan on ESPNU with a rap.
You see, it started as a dream
My dad planted the seed
Though when I started to sprout
He couldn’t be there to see
Still I remained focused and transcendent .The rest solidified through my journey. How can you not be impressed?
And yes, to those who wait,
The Lord brings blessings.
I had this dream since I was 7
Now I’m dream tellin’.
I could see it now
The fans scream and yellin’
As I’m walking out that tunnel
Wearing a winged helmet
Go Blue, baby. I’m going to Michigan.
His on-field exploits led Paramus Catholic to a state title last year, but his off-field character impressed teammates and coaches even more.
When word spread Peppers was headed to Paramus Catholic, new teammates imagined a prima donna, a cocksure kid with loads of scholarship offers used to getting media attention who would demand superstar treatment. Instead, they got a quiet leader, a relentlessly hard-working player who makes sure everyone arrives on time for practices and team meetings; who is the one to remind everyone to push themselves during weight-lifting sessions if there is too much talking; who complained about missing classes to meet with college recruiters, which has rubbed off on teammates; who is basically “a coach on the field,” Paramus Catholic senior quarterback Steve Shanley said.
His position at the next level likely is cornerback, though the Michigan coaching staff figures to use him on select packages on offense. Shanley said his plan, if he was facing Peppers, would be to focus on the defensive side.
“Stay away,” Shanley warned. “He tampers with your routes as a wide receiver in every way possible. Name it and he’ll do it.
“Even in practice, he’s a pain in the [butt]. I’m going to one side all the time.”
Peppers wasn’t afraid to begin anew after two stalwart state championship-winning seasons at longtime national power Don Bosco Prep. He transferred to Paramus Catholic last year, a program on the rise but without much of a winning pedigree. He was unhappy at Don Bosco and wanted to join his friends. His impact would be sudden, a state title last winter for a program that hadn’t won one since 1997.
“It wasn’t single-handedly, but it was pretty close when he carried that team on his back many times last year,” Farrell said. “He plays with determination that just doesn’t come across on film.”
Peppers lives and breathes football, soaking up as much of it as he can. He watches whatever’s on — UFL or CFL, college or pro. Quick said he thinks Peppers could be a broadcaster tomorrow, his knowledge is so vast. Before one interview, Peppers was asked about New Jersey football and ticked off how each top program performed, offering intricate details.
Peppers takes pride in knowing the game — he feels it’s what separates him from the nation’s other elite prospects. In fact, he doesn’t like to compare himself to others his age. He sees the NFL in his future.
“I could care less about high school — I want to be the best ever, period. Point blank,” he said. “The best right now is Richard Sherman, Darrelle Revis, Patrick Peterson. That’s who I’m looking at. I don’t care what a high school corner is doing, a college corner. I want to be the best ever.”
Curtis was his harshest critic and sternest supporter. He always wanted his little brother to strive to be the best. If he had two interceptions, Curtis wanted three; if he ran for 200 yards, Curtis wanted 250; if he scored three touchdowns, Curtis wanted four.
Peppers thinks about his brother often. Before games, he goes to the end zone, takes a knee and talks to his brother.
“When I’m on that field, I know he’s watching over me,” Peppers said.