The Wolverine: Covering University of Michigan Football and Sports
Issue link: https://comanpub.uberflip.com/i/1451622
MARCH 2022 THE WOLVERINE 31 2022 FOOTBALL RECRUITING ISSUE BY EJ HOLLAND N o recruit in Michigan's 2022 recruiting class bleeds Maize and Blue more than five-star cornerback Will Johnson. It's in his DNA — literally. Johnson is the son of ex-Wolverine Deon Johnson, who played for Michi- gan in the early 1990s and now operates Sound Mind Sound Body, a top training and mentorship program for high school athletes in the Detroit metro area, and his wife, Kafi Kumasi, a Michigan grad and associate professor in the School of Information Sciences at Wayne State. Both of Johnson's parents passed along their love of Michigan, showed him around campus and took him to games as a child. Johnson has sported Michi- gan gear and cheered for the Wolverines his whole life, but admits he doesn't re- member too much about his early expe- riences in Ann Arbor. "I remember it for sure, but it didn't sit the same as when I was in high school watching the games," Johnson said. "I didn't know the whole meaning behind it. I just remember all the people." Now, Michigan has become a sacred place for Johnson. Just like it was for his parents before him. The prize of this recruiting cycle, Johnson inked with Michigan in De- cember and enrolled in January. The 6-3, 190-pounder is a tall, long, physical corner, who is expected to compete for playing time as a true fresh- man. With spring ball just around the cor- ner, Johnson is already hard at work in U-M's strength and condi- tioning program. During his first few weeks on campus, Johnson has also found time to soak in the moment. Just small nuances such as walking to class and navigating through Schembechler Hall are special to John- son. "It means a lot," Johnson said. "I'm happy to be here and happy to be getting closer to my teammates. It means a lot to finally be here, just like my parents were. I'm excited to follow the tradition." While his Michigan roots run deep, Johnson's road to Michigan wasn't al- ways a smooth drive down State Street. A much-ballyhooed recruit from Grosse Pointe (Mich.) South, Johnson had offers from programs across the country, including Alabama, Florida, LSU, Notre Dame, Ohio State, Texas A&M and USC. Michigan was always at the top of his mind, but as the page turned to the 2022 class, plenty of changes took place in Ann Arbor. Michigan fired defensive coordinator Don Brown and parted ways with cor- nerbacks coach Michael Zordich. Head coach Jim Harbaugh also appeared to be on the hot seat after a 2-4 season. At the time, Johnson didn't appear to be a lock to keep the family tradition going. Johnson made a visit to hated rival Ohio State, and his dad even sported Ari- zona State gear at a Sound Mind Sound Body camp following a trip to Tempe. Michigan, however, made a pair of splash hires when it brought in defensive coordinator Mike Macdonald from the Baltimore Ravens and cornerbacks coach Maurice Linguist from Texas A&M. Linguist was regarded as one of the best recruiters at the country at the time of his hire and quickly got to work on Johnson. In a month's time, Linguist and Michi- gan earned a verbal commitment from Johnson. However, Linguist bolted for the head-coaching job at Buffalo less than three months later. Despite his commit- ment to U-M and ties to the program, John- son began to have some questions. He made an official visit to USC in the summer and even set up an official visit with Ohio State behind the scenes before ulti- mately deciding to cancel it. However, Johnson remained true to his word and stuck with his pledge. By the time the fall rolled around, doubt re- garding his dedication to the Wolverines slowly diminished. Michigan had a magical season on the field, winning the Big Ten champion- ship and reaching the College Football Playoff, which only made Johnson feel at ease with his decision. The Wolverines replaced Linguist with Steve Clinkscale, who played a big role in keeping Johnson committed. "I stayed with it because Michigan was the best fit for me," Johnson said. "They had everything I was asking for, and it was the best opportunity for me. We can keep the winning tradition going next year and the next three years. Coach Clink meant a lot. He gave me my first Power Five offer [when he was an assistant at Kentucky] and has been on me since I was a ninth grader. He meant a lot to me." Shortly after inking with the Wolver- ines and moving into his dorm at U-M, The On3 Consensus ranking, which gives equal weight to the four major recruiting outlets, lists Johnson as a five-star pros- pect, and the No. 2 cornerback and No. 18 player nationally. PHOTO BY EJ HOLLAND Johnson "I'm at the right place. I'm happy with Michigan and am glad I'm here. Michigan just always felt like home. The education is great. I'm close to the guys in my class. Over- all, I just felt comfortable with Michigan."