The Wolverine: Covering University of Michigan Football and Sports
Issue link: https://comanpub.uberflip.com/i/1482097
10 THE WOLVERINE NOVEMBER 2022 INSIDE MICHIGAN ATHLETICS The Michigan secondary has been very good through the first half of the season, but tougher tests are upon them. The veterans have been so good that the coaches have been able to bring freshman Will Johnson, a five-star cornerback out of Grosse Pointe (Mich.) South High, along slowly. Johnson talks about the acclimation to big time college football and more in this Q & A: The Wolverine: You're wearing the coveted No. 2 jersey made famous by Michigan Heisman winner Charles Woodson in 1997. What does that mean to you, and do you think about it? Will Johnson: "Charles Woodson was at the Maryland game, and he came up to me and was like, 'Got the number on? [You've] got to make a play.' Just know- ing that in my head, to be good in that number … it's always going to push me while I've got it on, for sure." The Wolverine: What have you learned from the veteran corners — D.J. Turner, Gemon Green, Mike Sainristil, etc.? Johnson: "Just how to come to the game and always stay ready, because they were in my position before. Just always stay locked in on the sidelines, because when they've got to come out, I've got to go in." The Wolverine: What do you feel like your role has been halfway through the season behind the veterans? Is it what you expected? Johnson: "Everybody's playing really well, so my role is just to come in when they need me to. We're just all trying to get better every day and push each other. That's really my job right now — to try to push them. "They help me out even though I'm trying to take their spot. We just try to make each other better." The Wolverine: Was it a bit over- whelming when you first got here, go- ing from high school to this level? And what have you learned in the short time you've been at Michigan? Johnson: "I think when I first got here, yeah. The first couple games I had to get a feel for it at that tempo and just being on that stage. But every game, it gets more comfortable, and coaches prepare very well for the game. I'm just getting more and more comfortable every game. "I've learned there's a reason I'm here, and just trust myself and trust what got me here. And just play confident. That's what I've learned so far." The Wolverine: How tough has it been to pick up defensive coordinator Jesse Minter's scheme? Johnson: "Spring ball was definitely a great help for me, because I got to learn a lot then. There's a lot that goes into it. Our coaching staff really helped me out a lot. "I'm playing a lot of different positions with it, too. I think I've been able to pick it up pretty well. It hasn't been too hard so far." Johnson wears jersey No. 2, following in the footsteps of Wolverine legend Charles Woodson. PHOTO BY PER KJELDSEN The Athletic and The Columbus Dispatch released their an- nual "official unofficial" preseason Big Ten basketball media poll Oct. 10. Michigan checked in at third, receiving one first-place vote and having one pollster slot the Wolverines as low as seventh. U-M trailed only Indiana and Illinois and was ahead of (in order) Michigan State, Purdue, Ohio State, Iowa, Rutgers, Wisconsin, Maryland, Penn State, Minnesota, North- western and Nebraska. What does this mean for the Maize and Blue? For the last five years, after a brief hiatus, the two aforemen- tioned publications teamed up to provide preseason rankings for the Big Ten. Looking back at the rankings compared to where Michigan, and other teams, wound up come March is fascinating. In some ways, the poll is very accurate. In others, though, it's way off. The group of 28 beat writers correctly predicted the Big Ten champion three straight seasons from 2018-20. Michigan State was pegged as the No. 1 preseason team each season and won at least a share of the league. In the 2020-21 campaign, though, Michigan was picked sixth, before going on to win the conference outright. Last season, the Maize and Blue were tabbed No. 1, but they fin- ished tied for seventh and were the No. 8 seed in the Big Ten Tournament. Wisconsin was picked 10th, and Illinois third, and both grabbed a share of the conference crown. In this year's poll, five different teams — Indiana (19), Illinois (6), Michigan (1), Purdue (1) and Iowa (1) — received at least one first-place tally. Indiana, the favorite, was picked fourth by one writer. Illinois slotted second, but one voter placed the Illini as the 11th-best team on his ballot. Michigan State was picked anywhere between second and eighth. Maryland drew three sixth-place votes and two 12th-place tallies. Put simply, the league is being viewed as wide open head- ing into the 2022-23 campaign, due in large part to the mass exodus of talented players to the NBA (the Big Ten's nine selections in the 2022 NBA Draft were the most among all leagues and the most picks by the league since it had 10 in the 1990 event). History suggests that it should probably be viewed that way more often than not, given the (in)accuracy of preseason projections in certain years. Here's a look at Michigan's preseason placement by the me- dia and how it finished at year's end over the last five seasons: Preseason Postseason Record Season Big Ten Rank Placement (Conf. Record) 2017-18 T-5th T-4th 33-8 (13-5) 2018-19 2nd 3rd 30-7 (15-5) 2019-20 5th 9th 19-12 (10-10) 2020-21 6th 1st 23-5 (14-3) 2021-22 1st T-7th 19-15 (11-9) — Clayton Sayfie Preseason Men's Basketball Expectations Versus Reality Sitting Down With Freshman Defensive Back Will Johnson