This time last week, the hope was that Michigan football would be coming into the Ohio State game close to full strength — minus safety Rod Moore, of course — with some optimism that star cornerback Will Johnson could return.
However, not only does it appear unlikely that Johnson will be available in Columbus, but another star is starting to look unlikely to play against the Buckeyes. Colston Loveland scored a big touchdown before halftime against Northwestern, but didn’t return to the game. It appeared as if he was being held out on precautionary measures, but it turns out his injury — though not overall serious — might be serious enough to keep him out vs. Ohio State.
“Yeah, we’ll see,” head coach Sherrone Moore said on Monday. “I think Colston’s trending in a good direction. We’ll get a better feel in the next couple days and we’ll see — same thing with Will.”
Considering how good OSU is this year (as it tends to be every year) and how much Michigan has had to scrape and claw for everything it’s gotten this year, the Wolverines need all hands on deck. Here is the latest.
Will Johnson injury update
Johnson was initially injured in the second half of the USC game in Week 4, but he returned to the lineup after missing one game against Minnesota. However, he appeared to have suffered a case of turf toe in the first half of Week 8 at Illinois and has not returned to the lineup since.
Michigan cornerback depth chart
With Johnson likely out, Michigan will rely on the personnel it’s been running out there most of the year. Jyaire Hill and Aamir Hall will likely start on the boundary while Zeke Berry — who has started a few games outside — could return to nickel. Or, like we saw last week, it could be Hall and Berry with Makari Paige at nickel while Hill rotates in.
Colston Loveland injury update
Loveland was expected by many to be a go until ESPN’s Pete Thamel revealed that there is pessimism that he’ll be cleared by the time kickoff happens. Considering Loveland is Michigan’s leading receiving threat, it would be a huge blow to the Wolverines. However, Michigan did beat a then-ranked USC team in Week 4 without Loveland, as he’s long been dealing with a shoulder injury he sustained in Week 3 against Arkansas State.
Michigan tight end depth chart
Without Loveland, Michigan would rely heavily on Marlin Klein and Hogan Hansen to fill his role as a pass catcher and bring in Zack Marshall as a blocker.