For now, his Mohawk may be the only thing that separates him from a veteran Michigan defensive line.

It's those same upperclassmen who hassle him about his haircut.

The young defensive end even chose the No. 55 jersey — the same number that Brandon Graham, a former All-American, wore the previous four years. Freshman defensive end Jibreel Black couldn't be in a bigger shadow.

But he's now separating himself from the crowd.

At the beginning of the season, Michigan coach Rich Rodriguez said there would be some true freshmen who would have a chance to contribute right away on defense — Black was named, along with a few other defensive backs.

But it took Black a while to pick up the defensive schemes. He was finding his role while trying to digest a big college playbook — one that fifth-year senior defensive tackle Greg Banks admitted to having trouble with during his freshman year.

Then, Black turned a corner.

“He showed (in) two or three great weeks of practice that he’s not going to make any more of those mistakes,” redshirt junior defensive end Ryan Van Bergen said on Monday. “He hasn’t made a single one in a game.”

The 6-foot-2, 258-pound defensive end has appeared in all six of Michigan’s games, but in recent weeks, he has seen a lot of time as Banks’s replacement on third-down situations.

“He’s a hard-working guy,” Van Bergen said. “Just by looking at him, you wouldn’t be able to tell he’s one of the most explosive players we have. But off the line, he’s probably one of the quicker guys we have.”

And so far, the freshman has had the energy and motor of someone who hasn’t had to endure multiple years in the Big Ten. Those were the same words used to describe Graham when he was playing at Michigan, but Van Bergen says that everyone should wait a year or two to make that kind of comparison.

“He’s a speed-type guy,” Banks said. “You want people on third downs with high motors, because then they’re willing to strain more. He doesn’t have to take much of the grueling work of getting beat up on the first and second downs with the run. So we put him out there, and he does what he does best.”

The results aren’t tangible just yet, but you could see Black in the backfield on a few plays against Michigan State. He only has two tackles and two quarterback hurries on the season, but he still has room to grow.

As of right now, Black understands what the coaches are asking of him. He’s the freshman on a defensive unit that may be the Wolverines' deepest and most talented — there are plenty of players to look up to. And those veterans are learning something from him, too.

The defensive linemen share pass rush moves with each other. Even though he’s a freshman, Banks and Van Bergen have give-and-takes with Black.

When Banks was a freshman, Shawn Crable liked his stab pass-rush move, and decided to use it himself. There were no secrets — everyone’s on the same team.

Over the past few weeks, the defensive line has put pressure on opposing quarterbacks. And on the season, Banks and Van Bergen each have two sacks and junior nose tackle Mike Martin has 2.5 sacks.

“I definitely feel like we’re getting our swag, so to speak,” Black said. “We’re gelling pretty well. We know where we want to be at. We know our pass rush moves. We’re getting them down to a T.”

Bringing in Black on third down is just another weapon the Wolverines can throw at opposing offenses. Banks said that once Black develops himself physically, he could become a “remarkable player.”

“(He’s) fresh,” Banks said. “That’s what you want against Big Ten offensive linemen. Because, one, they’re all good. And those are the money downs you’re trying to capitalize on.”

Black now has his role. And Michigan fans will recognize the No. 55 streaking to the quarterback on third downs — soon enough they'll know his name too.