The Wolverine: Covering University of Michigan Football and Sports
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104 ■ THE WOLVERINE 2024 FOOTBALL PREVIEW powerhouse programs were throwing huge offers at him, all coveting the elite, five-star cover corner. Michigan might not have been "sell- ing hope," as former U-M nemesis and Michigan State coach Mark Dantonio put it when asked about recruiting against his rival years ago, but it did require a bit of a leap of faith for the Johnsons to be- lieve head coach Jim Harbaugh could still get the Wolverines to college football's promised land. "We always were rooting for Michi- gan, but we weren't the best at the time," Johnson recalled. "It was hard to watch sometimes." And at times, hard to believe it would change. Will visited USC and rival Ohio State, even telling one recruiting site he was a "silent commitment" to the Buck- eyes for a while. He was uncertain of the Michigan defensive coaches' philosophy and plan for him. But Harbaugh changed course and brought in Mike Macdonald to coordi- nate the defense and Steve Clinkscale as defensive passing game coordinator and secondary coach. They sold Johnson on their vision, and it became clear imme- diately his trust paid off. Johnson earned more playing time as his freshman season progressed, eventu- ally posting a 91.1 grade in man coverage in his first season, per Pro Football Focus (PFF) to lead all Power Five cornerbacks. He notched 2 interceptions in a Big Ten championship game win over Purdue and earned freshman All-America honors. Despite missing the first few games of the season in 2023 with a nagging lower- body injury, he allowed only a 29.1 passer rating in coverage his second season, per PFF, which ranked fifth among all cor- nerbacks in college football. Thanks in part to Johnson, the two Michigan teams he's played for have lost just one game — a national playoff semi- final contest to TCU — in his two seasons at U-M. There's no sense of satisfaction, the younger Johnson insisted in early sum- mer — far from it. Now, the junior is ready to show what he can do at full strength with two years of experience under his belt. Head coach Sherrone Moore can't wait to see it, noting his All-American has shown no signs of complacency. "When you have a guy like that who has all the hype around him, who had all the postseason success from last year, and you know he's done it on the biggest stage. He's made plays, but he doesn't care," Moore said. "He just wants to work and get better. I'm just here to support Will in any way I can." While everyone knows what he's ca- pable of, first-year secondary coach La- Mar Morgan said this spring that Johnson doesn't act the part of a guy who has ar- rived. That's one of the traits that makes him special, Morgan praised. "Will Johnson is like a freshman that just got here, an early enrollee trying to earn his respect from his teammates," Morgan said. "Every time somebody makes a big play, if Will is not on the field, he's running into the end zone with everybody. The dude cares about his teammates. He's the ultimate teammate that I have ever been around." He praised his parents, Deon and his wife and fellow Michigan grad Kafi Ku- masi, for their part in that. "His parents do a great job, and his sister [Kayli] works with us now [as U- M's director of on-campus recruiting]. They're just first-class people," Morgan said. "He's very genuine, he always wants to learn. He always wants to coach the others. "I learn a lot from him, too. You've got a new coach coming here and ask- ing you to change some techniques, and he's open. He's just a very unique player. People don't realize that the dude works like he's just trying to earn a spot on the bus every single day." Ready To Lead That's simply his responsibility, John- son said, as a legacy and now team vet- eran to continue the success guys like Hutchinson, J.J. McCarthy, Blake Corum, Zak Zinter, and so many others helped build with their leadership. More a lead- by-example guy, Johnson understands he's going to have to give a bit more vo- cally, too, in the absence of loquacious senior safety Rod Moore (knee injury). Defensive coordinator Wink Mar- tindale noted that guys like Johnson and veteran safety Makari Paige are a bit quieter on the field by nature. Both, though, understand their roles will need to change in 2024. "I definitely just need to be there more for my guys," Johnson said. "Not that Johnson celebrated with his father, Deon, after the national championship win against Washington. The younger Johnson was named CFP Championship Defensive MVP. He intercepted a pass on the first play of the second half, added 4 tackles and helped hold the Huskies to 255 yards passing and 1 TD in the air. PHOTO BY DOMINICK SOKOTOFF