The Wolverine: Covering University of Michigan Football and Sports
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38 THE WOLVERINE FEBRUARY 2023 C ornerback Will Johnson, who was a Freshman All-American this year with 14 games played and 3 intercep- tions, ascended to the top of the depth chart on his own in 2022. Now, he is Michigan's most experienced starting cornerback. Both DJ Turner and Gemon Green are off to the NFL Draft despite additional seasons of eligibility. That leaves a hole in the starting lineup with Mike Sainris- til handling the nickel duties. "I see a hungriness of somebody wanting to step in and play on the other side," Johnson told The Wolverine on Jan. 16. "So, we are definitely going to have to put in a lot of work this offsea- son to get another corner ready." It is a bit early to know who might start on the other side of him, especially with the transfer portal as an emerging roster-building option. Johnson did give a few names of players to keep an eye on who could make a leap this offseason. "Myles Pollard, Ja'Den McBurrows, Amorion Walker [are guys] that defi- nitely might be out there," Johnson said. "We all have to work to figure out who all and what our rotation will look like and who will play. [The coaches] will find somebody to be ready to step in." Pollard (6-foot-1, 191) was a three- star recruit out of Tennessee among the 2022 batch of signees. He played in a pair of games this season, but mostly made his mark on the scout team. McBurrows enters his third season with the program in 2023 but did not play this past season coming off a knee injury and then facial injuries suffered at the hands of MSU players in the tunnel incident on Oct. 29. But the most interesting is Walker, who was a three-star athlete the Wolverines flipped from Notre Dame during the 2022 cycle. He is still listed as a wide receiver at Michigan, but the coaching staff has worked with him on both sides of the ball and likes his potential in both spots. Win- ter conditioning and spring ball could go a long way in determining which position group might be his best fit. Many of Michigan's defensive con- tributors will return in 2023, but there are soon-to-be sophomore defenders who could also step into bigger roles. "I think [edge defender] Derrick Moore will have a much bigger role next year, so he's just waiting on his oppor- tunity," Johnson said. "I think we've got a lot of guys that are just waiting on their opportunity. It's like we all know the program and what they can do. Have the opportunity to go out there and do it. [Linebackers] Jimmy [Rolder] and Micah [Pollard] might get more playing time this year. Keon Sabb at safety. We have some guys [to watch], for sure." — Anthony Broome SPORTS MEDICINE DOCTOR WEIGHS IN ON BLAKE CORUM'S RECOVERY TIMELINE Running back Blake Corum revealed while announcing his return to U-M that the knee injury that cost him the end of the 2022 regular season was a torn meniscus and sprained medial col- lateral ligament (MCL). He underwent surgery the first week of December, and by early January he was already spotted doing some light rehab work. Dr. Jessica Flynn, a sports medicine doctor, explained the injury and the sur- gical options that typically come with it. "When you have a meniscus tear, there are two options," Flynn told The Wolverine. "One is to shave part of the meniscus out. That's the most com- mon thing done in older athletes. That's called a meniscectomy. The other op- tion is to try to repair the meniscus and stitch it back together. That's challeng- ing because the blood flow to the me- niscus is not good. So, it generally has to be a very young patient. Only certain MICHIGAN FOOTBALL Will Johnson Names Players To Watch In No. 2 Cornerback Battle Following the departures of DJ Turner and Gemon Green to the NFL Draft, Freshman All- American Will Johnson now enters 2023 as Michigan's most experienced starting cornerback. PHOTO BY LON HORWEDEL 2023 FOOTBALL SCHEDULE Date Opponent Location Sept. 2 EAST CAROLINA Ann Arbor Sept. 9 UNLV Ann Arbor Sept. 16 BOWLING GREEN Ann Arbor Sept. 23 RUTGERS Ann Arbor Sept. 30 at Nebraska Lincoln, Neb. Oct. 7 at Minnesota Minneapolis Oct. 14 INDIANA Ann Arbor Oct. 21 at Michigan State East Lansing, Mich. Oct. 28 Bye — Nov. 4 PURDUE Ann Arbor Nov. 11 at Penn State University Park, Pa. Nov. 18 at Maryland College Park, Md. Nov. 25 OHIO STATE Ann Arbor Dec. 2 Big Ten Championship Indianapolis