The Wolverine: Covering University of Michigan Football and Sports
Issue link: https://comanpub.uberflip.com/i/1523593
D E F E N S I V E B A C K S 106 ■ THE WOLVERINE 2024 FOOTBALL PREVIEW BY CHRIS BALAS M ichigan's secondary seemed set to re- peat as one of the nation's best fol- lowing the national championship season, one in which the last line of defense proved to be nearly elite. Junior corner Will Johnson and senior safety Rod Moore were considered two of the best in the country at their positions, playmakers with great instincts and ball skills. Then the unthinkable happened. Moore went down with a noncontact knee injury during a March 26 practice, reportedly tear- ing his ACL. On April 25, he announced via social media that he'd had surgery to re- pair the knee, thanking friends, teammates, family and doctors for their support. Until then, first-year defensive backs coach LaMar Morgan said, Moore had been everything he expected and more, even af- ter receiving the devastating news. "The guy gets injured, then the next day he's the first guy in the front seat in every meeting," Morgan said this spring. "He hasn't missed anything. He's asking ques- tions. He's just unbelievable, but that's the culture that we have here. He's going to be here every day at practice, coaching with us. … I hate that he got hurt, but I'm really excited about his future." For now, that will consist of helping his teammates in any way he can while rehab- bing. The Wolverines brought in four de- fensive backs from the transfer portal after Moore went down, but they'll have to com- pete with the players already on the roster — guys who have been battle-tested, played in huge games and have national champi- onship rings to show for it. Stone Cold Corner That starts with Johnson, who emerged as one of the nation's top cornerbacks by the end of his sophomore year — in fact, before. He posted a 91.1 grade in man cov- erage as a true freshman in 2022 to lead all Power Five cornerbacks, per Pro Football Focus, and allowed only a 29.1 passer rating in coverage last season. That mark was fifth among all cornerbacks in college football despite drawing the toughest assignments against some elite receivers. Facing Ohio State receiver Marvin Har- rison Jr. and Washington's Rome Odunze, Johnson allowed only 3 catches and picked off a pass on a combined 6 targets, earn- ing him first-team All-Big Ten honors and first-team All-America accolades from Sports Illustrated. "He has all the physical traits you'd want in a cornerback at 6-foot-2 and 202 pounds with excellent speed, footwork and ball skills for the position," Pro Football Focus wrote, noting he may have been the first corner selected in the NFL Draft this year if he'd been eligible. "Johnson has the mak- ings of a special cornerback prospect who will likely be a top-five pick next April." That's his goal, along with helping Michi- gan win another title. He's lost one game total in his two years in Ann Arbor, but he's not satisfied, even after a season in which he notched 4 interceptions (one returned for a touchdown) and 8 pass breakups, and started 11 of the 12 games he played in. Johnson didn't slow down this spring, head coach Sherrone Moore said in May. In fact, he took it up a notch. STAR POWER Corner Will Johnson Leads A Secondary That Should Be Strong Yet Again Johnson (2) and graduate safety Makari Paige (7) have combined to start 36 games for the Wolverines and will be relied upon to supply veteran leadership this year in a secondary that must replace several standout players due to injury, transfer and graduation. PHOTO BY DOMINICK SOKOTOFF