One Of The Most Underrated Players In Michigan Football History

Walking around Michigan Stadium on any given fall Saturday (during normal times), you’d see a sea of Wolverine fans sporting the jersey of their favorite player. Guys like Desmond Howard, Charles Woodson, Tom Brady and Braylon Edwards will often have their names and numbers represented by thousands within the stands.

While you’re likely to see plenty of No. 10 jerseys (thanks Tom Brady) and No. 21 jerseys (thanks Desmond Howard), you’ll rarely see any of those jersey numbers with “Gallon” on the nameplate. In terms of underrated players in Michigan Football history, Jeremy Gallon has to be near the top of the list.

After redshirting his freshman year in 2009, Gallon began his Michigan career by making plays on special teams - leading the Wolverines in both kick return yards (589) and punt return yards (43) as a redshirt freshman in 2010.

During his redshirt sophomore year in 2011, Gallon established himself as one of Michigan’s top wide receivers right out of the gate. During the week two matchup against Notre Dame (Under the Lights I), Gallon caught a pass from Denard Robinson and sprinted for a 64 yard gain late in the fourth quarter. Gallon’s reception would set up the iconic game winning touchdown pass from Robinson to Roy Roundtree. By the time the 2011 season had come to an end, Gallon would finish as Michigan’s second leading receiver with 453 yards on 31 receptions. He also finished as the team's leading punt returner for the second year in a row with 192 yards on 19 returns.

In 2012, Gallon took another step forward - finishing the season as Michigan’s leading receiver with 829 yards on 49 receptions. For the third year in a row, Gallon was also the leading punt returner for the Wolverines.

During Gallon’s final year in Ann Arbor (2013), he would elevate himself among the all-time greats with his performances. Not only was Gallon Michigan’s leading receiver for the second year in a row, he put together the single-most prolific season in Michigan Football history. His record of 1,373 receiving yards during the 2013 season still sits in the No. 1 spot on Michigan’s all-time list. Gallon would also set a new Michigan record (and Big Ten conference record) when he hauled in 369 yards against Indiana - a record that still stands today.

By the time his career was all said and done, Gallon’s name was commonplace within the record books at the University of Michigan. Given all that he accomplished on the field during his time in Ann Arbor, it’s surprising that you rarely hear his name mentioned among some of the all-time greats. Based on the numbers alone, Gallon is unquestionably one of the greatest players in Michigan Football history - and criminally underrated.

You can see a full list of his Michigan accomplishments below:

Receptions

Career: No. 3 (173)
Single Season: No. 2 (89)
Single Game: No. 3 (15)

Receiving yards

Career: No. 3 (2,704)
Single Season: No. 1 (1,373)
Single Game: No. 1 (369)

Touchdowns

Career: No. 9 (17)
Single Season: N/A
Single Game: No. 3 (3) - tied

Michigan single-season receiving yardage record (1,373)

Michigan single-game receiving yardage record (369)

Big Ten single-game receiving yardage record (369)

No. 2 all-time in NCAA Division I FBS history for receiving yards in a game (369)