ANN ARBOR -- Jabrill Peppers' season is now, officially, over.

Michigan coach Brady Hoke announced Wednesday that the freshman cornerback -- who has only played in parts of three games this season -- is done for the year, and will now use a medical redshirt for the 2014 season.

Peppers has missed five games due to two separate injuries, the second being a leg injury suffered prior to the team's home loss to Minnesota in late September. That injury was initially supposed to keep him sidelined for six to eight weeks, per Hoke, but at this point, his body still has not yet fully recovered enough for him to play football.

"We're going to redshirt him for this year," Hoke said. "Him and I have had a lot of different conversations, I've talked with his mother, doctors, trainers and everybody that should be included in the conversation.

"But he's taking care of himself (physically). He's been great with treatments and rehab and all those things. He's doing a tremendous job in school right now academically and he's excited about whenever he can get back on the field. His (health) has improved, but he's not going to be where you'd want a guy to be who has that kind of ability (this year)."

Hoke said Peppers' leg injury will not require surgery, and he does expect him to be fully healed in time to participate in spring practice.

Since he only played in three games during the first quarter of the season, Peppers' time missed due to injury makes him eligible for a medical redshirt season. Once that's officially granted, he'll have four more years of college eligibility remaining, beginning in 2015.

"If I could tell you, exactly, the medical diagnosis I would, but he's improved," Hoke said. "I think he'll be (ready by spring time). Initially it was six to eight weeks, we thought that was kind of the timeline on it.

"I think he'll be in good shape probably in the next four or five weeks."

Peppers, a five-star recruit and -- in the eyes of some -- the top defensive prospect in the country entering 2014, won a starting job in Michigan's secondary before the year began as a nickel corner.

Hoke said Monday that, had he stayed healthy, Peppers ultimately could've started at either nickel, regular corner or even safety before the year ended. He explained that, in practice anyway, Peppers' athletic ability and natural football instincts were as good as advertised when the season began.

He suffered an ankle injury in the first half of the team's season-opener against Appalachian State. That injury forced him to miss the club's week two loss at Notre Dame. Peppers returned to play portions of the Miami (Ohio) game and the Utah game in weeks three and four, but suffered a separate leg injury in practice prior to the fifth game of the year.

He finishes the year with 8 tackles.

"We were very excited about what he brings, from an attitude standpoint to explosiveness he had, the athleticism, the makeup speed, all the things that made him one of the most recruited guys in this country," Hoke said. "His football intelligence was at a high level, as were his instincts. He lost, possibly, (a starting) nickel or even a safety. Either way. He could've played all three positions."

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