The Wolverine: Covering University of Michigan Football and Sports
Issue link: https://comanpub.uberflip.com/i/1412876
OCTOBER 2021 THE WOLVERINE 51 BY EJ HOLLAND M ichigan hosted a number of tal- ented recruits for its massive pri- metime clash with Washington Sept. 11. Among them was five-star Grosse Pointe (Mich.) South cornerback Will Johnson, who is largely considered the leader of Michigan's 2022 recruiting class and was on campus all weekend for his official visit. Johnson has been at U-M on nu- merous occasions over the last several months, but this time, he got to expe- rience a wild atmosphere in The Big House during a night game with ex- tremely high stakes. And yes, Johnson came away very impressed. "Honestly, it was a perfect weekend," Johnson said. "Everything went smooth and as planned. The game was the best part for sure. The atmosphere was great. The defense played great. It was a great win against a good opponent. Now, we have to keep winning and keep it rolling. It was a great visit." Ranked as the No. 4 cornerback and No. 16 overall prospect nationally this cycle, Johnson is set to enroll early and is expected to make an immediate im- pact for the Wolverines. After watching the defense thrive in a 31-10 win under new defensive coordi- nator Mike Macdonald, Johnson is even more excited about the idea of coming in and starring in the secondary for an aggressive and multifaceted unit. "The defense was amazing," Johnson said. "It shows what Coach Macdon- ald is doing. I got to see some things they had planned that they showed on Saturday. There are so many different aspects to this defense. Everybody can make plays in different ways. It's really exciting to watch. "When they have high-level players, it can get 10 times better. I think my class can help with that in the second- ary and along the defensive line." Aside from taking in the game, John- son and his family had the chance to have one-on-one meetings with Michi- gan head coach Jim Harbaugh and new cornerbacks coach Steve Clinkscale. "We had some good meetings with my family," Johnson said. "They didn't sell us on coming to Michigan anymore. It was more about making us feel com- fortable. They answered questions. We came away feeling that Michigan is the place to be. The meetings were really good." Of course, Johnson also spent some time recruiting during his stay in Ann Arbor. His top priority was fellow five-star cornerback Domani Jackson, the No. 9 overall recruit nationally. While he is committed to USC, Jackson grew up a Michigan fan — his family is from the Midwest — and has developed a close friendship with Johnson throughout the recruiting process. "Being with Domani was probably the biggest thing for me," Johnson said. "I was with him the whole time. We both came away feeling that Michigan is a place where we can both fit in, be com- fortable and live out our dreams. We can shut things down. "On Sunday, we were in the stadium by ourselves and just walking around. We talked about playing with each other in The Big House and how we can live out our dream. It would be amazing. I think we both see that." Johnson also worked on several other priority targets that were on campus for the big weekend. "I was definitely hanging out with [2023 four-star quarterback] Dante [Moore]," Johnson said. "I got close to [2022 athlete] Amorion Walker. I also spoke with [2022 defensive end] Joshua Josephs, [2022 four-star offen- sive tackle] Josh Conerly and obviously [2022 five-star defensive tackle] Wal- ter Nolen. I talked to [2022 defensive tackle] Kenneth [Grant] and [2022 four- MICHIGAN RECRUITING Will Johnson Recaps Official Visit Johnson, a five-star Grosse Pointe (Mich.) South standout, is ranked by Rivals.com as the No. 4 cornerback and No. 16 overall prospect nationally. PHOTO COURTESY RIVALS.COM 2022 Michigan Commitment List Player Pos. Ht. Wt. Hometown (High School) Aaron Alexander LB 6-1 204 Belleville, Mich. (Belleville) Jayden Denegal QB 6-4 215 Apple Valley, Calif. (Apple Valley) Mario Eugenio DE 6-3 240 Tampa, Fla. (Gaither) Mason Graham DT 6-3 292 Anaheim, Calif. (Servite) Kevonte Henry DE 6-4 208 Lawndale, Calif. (Leuzinger) Will Johnson DB 6-2 182 Grosse Pointe, Mich. (Grosse Pointe South) Connor Jones OL 6-7 285 Monument, Colo. (Palmer Ridge) Kody Jones DB 6-0 180 Germantown, Tenn. (Germantown) Marlin Klein TE 6-6 215 Rabun Gap, Ga. (Nacoochee) Alessandro Lorenzetti OL 6-6 275 Windsor, Conn. (Loomis Chaffee School) Colston Loveland TE 6-5 230 Gooding, Idaho (Gooding) Tyler Morris WR 6-0 175 La Grange, Ill. (Nazareth Academy) Micah Pollard LB 6-3 200 Jacksonville, Fla. (Bartram Trail) Myles Pollard DB 6-2 180 Brentwood, Tenn. (Ravenwood) CJ Stokes RB 5-10 188 Columbia, S.C. (Hammond School) Tay'Shawn Trent WR 6-4 205 Eastpointe, Mich. (Eastpointe)