Tag: Cornelius Johnson

Media impressed with former Michigan football WR Cornelius Johnson at Shrine Bowl practice

Of course he’s balling out! #GoBlue

Former Michigan wide receiver Cornelius Johnson declared for the 2024 NFL draft after returning for his fifth year to help propel the Wolverines to a national title.

Johnson had 47 catches for 604 yards and one touchdown during the 2023 season and he totaled 138 catches for 2038 yards and 14 touchdowns during his five-year stay in Ann Arbor. He earned the nickname ‘Buckeye killer’ for his consistently clutch play against Ohio State, including in 2022 when he hauled in four catches for 160 yards and two touchdowns.

Johnson is competing in the Shrine Bowl, an annual NFL scouting event similar to the Senior Bowl, held in Las Vegas.

Simply put, this is huge for Johnson. Michigan obviously utilizes a run-first offense, so any chance to show scouts he can be a threat in the passing game is critical.

The 2023 Shrine Bowl was where eventual first-round pick Zay Flowers started picking up steam prior to the draft. Flowers, a Boston College product, was not widely considered a top prospect until he turned heads in Vegas. Flowers had 77 catches for 858 yards and five touchdowns during an impressive rookie campaign.

Of course, there’s no guarantee Johnson will get the same boost as Flowers (quite unlikely, actually), but this will certainly boost his stock. Heading into the offseason, Johnson was considered a late-round or undrafted free agent prospect, but he could wind up going early on Day 3 with a combine invite and good interviews. It might help that Johnson has a good friend in charge of a certain NFL team now. …

The Wolverines have four players competing in the Shrine Bowl. Along with Johnson are cornerback Josh Wallace, guard Trente Jones and guard Karsen Barnhart. Jones and Barnhart played tackle at Michigan, but are better suited to slide inside at the next level.

The Shrine Bowl will be televised on the NFL Network at 8 p.m. EST on Thursday, Feb. 1.

College Football Playoff semis could be a wide receiver draft showcase

A plethora of wide receiver prospects will be on display in the CFP semifinal games

It’s fitting that the four participants in the College Football Playoff have an abundance of future NFL draft picks on their rosters. This year’s final four is especially loaded at one particular position.

There will be many wide receivers who will be selected in the 2024 NFL draft on the field when Michigan faces Alabama and especially when Washington and Texas face off.

The Huskies have three draftable wide receivers. The headliner is Rome Odunze, a likely first-round pick with his blend of size, strength and downfield ability. Ja’Lynn Polk currently projects in the 75-125 overall range with his sticky hands and ability to win at any range of the field. Jalen McMillan is one of the top slot threats in the draft, if he declares, though he’s also capable of playing outside and is hyper-effective out of bunch sets.

Texas has a duo in Adonai Mitchell and Xavier Worthy that appears capable of each being top-40 overall picks. Worthy’s incredible speed is a great trump card; he had the fastest GPS-timed speed of any player in college football at 22.7 MPH. At just 172 pounds and plagued by drop issues and injuries, Worthy won’t be for everyone, however. Mitchell offers great size and thrived down the field after transferring from Georgia. He’s also a handful as a blocker.

Michigan’s Roman Wilson quietly improved his all-around game, enough that the speedy Wolverine is in the 3rd/4th-round conversation. His ability to work with QB J.J. McCarthy on broken plays will be mighty appealing for NFL teams with improvisational-type quarterbacks. Cornelius Johnson offers good size and the ability to make tacklers miss, and he projects as a Day 3 weapon.

Alabama is young at the wideout spot, but Jermaine Burton has the potential to be a middle-round pick if he declares for the draft.

Enjoy the games!

Fueled by memories of 2020 Citrus Bowl, Cornelius Johnson ready for rematch with Alabama

Time to get back at the Tide. #GoBlue

Michigan football is preparing to battle against the biggest name in college football — Nick Saban. For most of the roster, this is the first time they will face the Crimson Tide, but for others, there’s already a ship to right. Cornelius Johnson is one of the older players on the roster who remembers the 2020 Citrus Bowl that finished with Alabama blowing out Michigan by a score of 35-19.

“Round two is going to be a little different because of the stakes at hand, a spot in the national title is on the line,” Johnson said. “I’m just looking forward to that rematch. Getting back at them for last time.”

Of course, the task will not come easy for Michigan. Alabama’s secondary boasts two potential first-round picks in Kool-Aid McKinstry and Terrion Arnold. Despite the mock drafts and media hyper, Johnson won’t let the pre-game chatter get to his head.

“There’s a lot of talk from both sides,” Johnson noted. “All that talk is good, I mean, eventually like you said it’s all gonna come down to when that ball is snapped. We will see what happens.”

To his credit, Johnson isn’t one to shy from bright lights. Michigan fans will fondly remember his 2022 performance against Ohio State which saw Johnson catch four passes for 160 yards and two touchdowns. The fifth-year senior credits preparation for his calm demeanor in stressful games.

“It just comes down to being in the moment,” Johnson mused. “Just trusting your preparation this month leading up to the game. Just trying to live and learn by the past two bowl games that didn’t necessarily go Michigan’s way.”

Michigan, and the sports world, will see if Johnson and his teammates have been able to make the right gameplan tweaks on Monday evening in the Rose Bowl. Hopefully the third time is the charm for a Wolverines team yearning for bowl success.

Michigan football hoping for a continuation of 2022 into 2023 — on most things

It will be interesting to see who is the most productive receiver in 2023. #GoBlue

ANN ARBOR, Mich. — Freight trains don’t stop so easily once they get going. The question entering 2023 is has Michigan football fashioned itself after a freight train?

It will be difficult to gauge because the schedule doesn’t get daunting until the final month of the regular season. But the Wolverines are looking at this new beginning as more of the same.

The maize and blue posted a program-best 13 wins last year, following a year when it tied a best of 12 wins. The plan for 2023 is for 15. In order to do that, the Wolverines will have to do what they did a year ago — go undefeated in the regular season and the Big Ten Championship game — but also fare better in the College Football Playoff, where it has been ousted in the semifinal each of the past two years.

2022 appeared to be an aberration in the postseason — not losing there, that’s become quite a regular happenstance for the team from Ann Arbor — but considering that Michigan was a heavy favorite against TCU, but went home from Phoenix instead of Los Angeles. Fifth-year wide receiver Cornelius Johnson says that the team wants to take the positives from late last season and continue them into this year.

“Just trying to build off last year — the confidence we had in games, and then building that into a new season,” Johnson said. “Obviously, it’s a new season, so, it’s a totally different team. But it’s still stuff that happened and still stuff that’s been put on tape. So you have to build off that tape into this year’s tape.”

In order for the team to evolve to a place where it can thrive in the postseason, it will need to add to its passing attack. That’s the plan this offseason, but we’ve heard plans before, only to see them discarded when some other shiny object is more appealing.

That shiny object for the Wolverines is their running back duo, Blake Corum and Donovan Edwards, arguably the best in college football. Michigan leaned hard on both, but injuries stymied them, and the Horned Frogs stalled Edwards, forcing the passing game into action as the maize and blue played from behind.

It’s not just about quarterback J.J. McCarthy — he’ll need help from his receiving corps.

Johnson has taken it upon himself to lead the unit as much as he can. He was not voted a team captain this year but that doesn’t mean he can’t be a role model or a vocal proponent in the wide receiver room. Having elder statesman status as a fifth-year player who arrived in 2019, Johnson is doing everything he can to raise the room up.

“It’s a question about leadership because, for me personally, I will take some guys aside after practice, maybe get some extra catches on the jugs machine or go over some route concepts and try and lead guys in that way,” Johnson said. “And then also eventually just try and lead by example, too — leading myself. I feel like that’s something this year I can take to another level is just leading myself and end up leading each other in the whole receiver room.”

The march to the College Football Playoff begins in earnest on Saturday when Michigan football hosts East Carolina for the 2023 season opener. The game will kick off at noon EDT from The Big House and will be streamed live on Peacock.

Top three wide receivers in the Big Ten for 2023

The top two receivers in the Big Ten shouldn’t be shocking. #B1G #GoBucks

The Big Ten may not be as loaded at wide receiver as it is at running back in 2023. Still, our beloved Ohio State Buckeyes have two of the best not only in the conference, but arguably the nation, and I don’t think it’s insane to say that Marvin Harrison Jr. is primed to make his case as one of the best wide receivers in Ohio State history.

The only receiver to make this list that doesn’t reside in Columbus plays for their rival up North. I think it’s fairly objective to rank both Buckeye receivers at one and two, but the third receiver on my list is a bit more debatable. I thought ever so deeply about including three Ohio State receivers in this list, but checked myself and went another route.

The Big Ten is a heavy-hitting old-school conference and if you are anything like me, you want it to stay like that, but it is fun to see some of these receivers work.

2023 Buckeyes Wire Preseason All-Big Ten team: Offensive skill positions

Which Ohio State skill position football players made our prediction for the All-Big Team #GoBucks #B1G

The 2023 college football season is right around the corner and the Big Ten is loaded with top-notch talent and predicting who will end up on the All-Big Ten has proven challenging. Not only was it hard to choose one player over another, but it was also hard to admit that the Michigan Wolverines have a number of studs that will potentially wreak havoc on the rest of the conference.

This list is going to dive into the offensive skill position players and even though the Big Ten is typically known for their defense, there is a ton of firepower in the conference this season and that is especially true at the skill positions.

In the age of the transfer portal, it is possible for a complete dark horse to rise as a frontrunner, but we will do our best to provide the most educated guess based on previous performances and situations.

75 days until Michigan football: A pair of 75-yard touchdowns against the Buckeyes

We can watch these plays over and over! #GoBlue

We are 75 days away from Michigan football opening the 2023-2024 season up. The Wolverines are set to host East Carolina on Saturday, Sept. 2 at Noon ET on Peacock.

Speaking of the number 75, there were two 75-yard touchdowns scored in the last regular season game against rival, Ohio State, last season.

The maize and blue capped off their undrafted regular season a year ago down in Columbus. Michigan went into the ‘Shoe and defeated the Buckeyes, 45-23. Michigan ran for 252 yards as a team and for the second year in a row, the Wolverines controlled the trenches.

During the route of Ohio State, there were four monster touchdown plays in the game. But sticking with the number 75, let’s talk about those first.

With 5:24 left in the second quarterback, J.J. McCarthy found Cornelious Johnson open for a 75-yard score on the first play of the drive. The touchdown came after the previous drive when McCarthy found Johnson for a 69-yard touchdown reception.

Not to be outdone, running back Donovan Edwards sealed the win the Michigan with 7:11 left in the game. The Wolverines had the ball up 31-23 after an OSU field goal and Edwards busted through the Michigan offensive line on the first play of the drive for a 75-yard score. The then-sophomore followed the 75-yard touchdown up with an 85-yard scamper on the third play of the next drive.

The Wolverines have won the past two games over Ohio State and Michigan will host the Buckeyes this season for ‘The Game’ on Nov. 25.

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WATCH: Michigan WR Cornelius Johnson talks coming back to the Wolverines for another season

He’s in line for a great 2023 season!

On the fourth segment of ‘Those Who Stay’ the Michigan football program focuses on wide receiver Cornelius Johnson.

Johnson came to Michigan as a four-star recruit in the 2019 class. The Greenwich (CT) Brunswick School product chose the Wolverines over schools like Alabama, Penn State, Notre Dame, and others.

Johnson is entering his fifth season in Ann Arbor as a graduate student. He has appeared in 46 games with the Wolverines with 31 career starts at wide receiver. During the 2022 season, he caught 32 receptions for 499 yards and six touchdowns.

Johnson broke loose last season against rival, Ohio State in Columbus. The 6-foot-3 wide receiver caught two touchdowns against the Buckeyes en route to 160 yards, which is a career-high for Johnson.

With Ronnie Bell in San Francisco with the 49ers, Johnson enters the season as the No. 1 receiver on the team. Quarterback J.J. McCarthy has had a whole season and spring training with Johnson, so the two should have good chemistry entering fall with one another.

Watch the video below to see why Johnson chose to return to Michigan for a fight season and he talks about his love for the game chess.

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Where Michigan football WR Cornelius Johnson ranks in College Sports Wire WR rankings

He’s definitely underrated. #GoBlue

Perhaps a bit underrated, Cornelius Johnson has been a solid player for Michigan football. When Ronnie Bell went down with injury in 2021, Johnson stepped up to the plate, leading the team in receiving.

Though he didn’t get a ton of accolades in 2022, Johnson showed up when he was needed most. With running back Blake Corum sidelined with injury, Johnson had two long touchdown catches against rival Ohio State, helping the Wolverines topple the Buckeyes in Columbus, 45-23.

Now Bell is off to the NFL and Johnson will be needed more than ever. So, where does he rank among the best wideouts in the Big Ten?

College Sports Wire put out the conference wide receiver rankings entering 2023, and Johnson came in sixth, behind the Ohio State duo, Illinois WR Isaiah Williams, Wisconsin’s Chimere Dike, and Maryland wideout Tyrese Chambers.

Johnson is a consistent pass catcher in the Michigan offense. This past season was his most productive from a touchdown standpoint after only scoring 7 touchdowns in the past three seasons combined. Heading into 2023, the Wolverines will need him to be a major factor in the passing game when they aren’t handing it off to Blake Corum or Donovan Edwards.

Opposite Johnson, Roman Wilson — who was injured in Week 5 each of the last two years — is poised for a breakout season. The Wolverines will also be counting on Tyler Morris, Darrius Clemons, Peyton O’Leary, Karmello English, Semaj Morgan, and Fredrick Moore as pass catchers.

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Post-spring edition: Ranking the top 30 pass-catchers in the Big Ten heading into 2023

There are some excellent players in the conference!

We have been doing different rankings inside of the Big Ten. We have ranked the coaches in the conference, the projected starting quarterbacks, and most recently we ranked the 20-best running backs in the Big Ten — you can find all three stories below.

But now it’s time to debate the top pass-catchers in the Big Ten.

For this exercise, we are going to rank the 30-best in the conference and it’s a mixture between tight ends and wide receivers. To try and give more teams a chance to have players on this list, our only rule is that one team can only have three players ranked on the list.

Here are the best 30 pass-catchers in the Big Ten.

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