The Wolverine: Covering University of Michigan Football and Sports
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"There were fears of that game early starting to go Ohio State's way. Cor- nelius started to bring it all back. Huge plays. Huge plays that will never be for- gotten, is my guess." Now, there's even bigger business at hand. Johnson and a host of other Wol- verines don't get another chance after 2023. They're laying it all on the line in hopes of fashioning a season so spe- cial they'll taste it 50 years hence. It's why many of them returned, including Johnson. "Overall, just to get better," he began, describing his motivation for pulling back on Michigan jersey No. 6. "Put an- other year of tape on display, and to get better as a player. Ultimately, seeing my teammates come back, collectively, with the same goal, made me want to come back for another year in the Maize and Blue as well." Johnson didn't have to look up Michi- gan on a map when coming from Con- necticut. His mother, Dr. Cassandra Tribble, grew up in Detroit and gradu- ated from the Michigan Medical School. He's still learned Michigan on a much deeper level. Now, he and his teammates have a chance to write a sterling chap- ter in U-M athletic history, becoming three-time outright Big Ten champions — and more. It won't simply happen, though, just because it did in 2021 and '22. He makes that abundantly clear, having no doubt been coached to leave any and all previous plaudits behind like he left the Buckeyes in the dust. "It's all of us just trying to do some- thing we've never done before, and continuing to build off last season, the season before, and just keep climbing," he said. "But this is a whole new sea- son. All that other stuff in the past is blanked out right now. It's a whole new team. We're just trying to focus on the present. "Ultimately, we do have goals for the season, but it starts with each week. It sounds cliché, but it's all you can do, at this point." INSIGHT FROM THE HOME FRONT Johnson enjoyed a much-traveled summer, even while refining the skills that allowed him 32 catches for 499 yards and a team-leading 6 touchdown receptions a year ago. He attended the graduation of a brother in San Diego, vis- ited a friend at the University of Miami, and dropped in on friends in Dallas. But there's no place like home, and his trip back to Greenwich allowed him to enjoy his family and friends at a different level. He also got a tune-up from Car- rington Beckford, owner of Overdrive Elite Performance Systems, a train- ing facility Johnson has frequented for years. Beckford — regarded as a big brother by a host of high school ath- letes, elite college prospects, and col- lege performers themselves — delivers unique insight into Johnson's formation as a primary weapon for the Wolverines. "It's always a different vibe," John- son noted of seeing Beckford. "I always OCTOBER 2023 ❱ THE WOLVERINE 27