Devastating blow hits the Michigan Wolverines just ahead of their matchup against Ohio State Buckeyes
Elite Michigan Wolverine and NFL Draft prospect cornerback Will Johnson hasn't played for the Wolverines since suffering a toe injury against Illinois in October. However, with the most important game left on the schedule this week, Johnson doesn't appear to be playing against Ohio State. According to Matt Zenitz of CBS Sports and Pete Thamel […]
Elite Michigan Wolverine and NFL Draft prospect cornerback Will Johnson hasn't played for the Wolverines since suffering a toe injury against Illinois in October.
However, with the most important game left on the schedule this week, Johnson doesn't appear to be playing against Ohio State.
According to Matt Zenitz of CBS Sports and Pete Thamel of ESPN, Johnson is unlikely to play Saturday. This likely means that Johnson's time as a Wolverine is over, as he will likely declare for the 2025 NFL Draft.
Head coach Sherrone Moore said earlier this week that Johnson and classmate/tight end Colston Loveland were trending in the right direction to play in Columbus, but that appears to no longer be the case for Johnson.
“Yeah, we’ll see,” Moore said on Monday. “I think Colston is trying to get in a good direction. We’ll get a better feel in the next couple of days. The same thing with Will. So we’ll see.”
Unfortunately, we won't get to see Will Johnson versus freshman phenom Jeremiah Smith, which would have been arguably the best individual matchup of the season.
However, I think we've seen enough elite play from Johnson in his career that we don't need to see him rush back from injury.
If this is it for Johnson in a Michigan uniform, he goes out with several accolades. The junior suited up in six games this season, recording 14 total tackles with two interceptions, both of which were pick-sixes. They were his second and third interceptions returned for a score, which is a top mark in program history. He was named a mid-season All-American this year by the Reese’s Senior Bowl and was a Jim Thorpe Award Semifinalist.
Overall, Johnson has appeared in 32 games in a Michigan uniform with 22 starts. Last year, Johnson was a first-team All-American last season as a key player in Michigan’s run to winning the National Championship, where he was named the Defensive MVP of the title game after an interception in a 34-13 win over Washington.
He is a favorite to be a top-five pick in the upcoming 2025 NFL Draft. According to our A to Z Sports 2025 Consensus Board, Johnson is going as early as the second pick in the draft, with his average being the sixth overall pick.
