Tag: Cornelius Johnson

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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Michigan football WR Cornelius Johnson reflects on Ohio State touchdown

It was a game-breaking play! #GoBlue

It was a career-defining moment for Michigan football wide receiver Cornelius Johnson. Somewhat streaky as a wideout, the Wolverines called his number against rival Ohio State, facing a third-and-long, and in dangerous territory, down by 11 on the road.

Quarterback J.J. McCarthy faced heavy pressure, dumped it off to Johnson in the flat, and Johnson took it from there, breaking several tackles en route to the end zone to put the maize and blue back within striking distance.

Michigan went on to win, 45-23, in Columbus, but that play was the one that started the momentum on the way to what ended up being a drubbing.

On Wednesday, Johnson spoke to Jon Jansen on the ‘In the Trenches’ podcast about that first touchdown catch and shared what was going through his mind in that moment.

“First of all, just like coming into that game in general, it’s just a mindset,” Johnson said. like I was thinking to all about all the matchups all comes down to this, you know, it’s exactly that point where it’s like it’s a requirement, you got to beat Ohio State to advance to the championship and advance to the playoffs — that’s just a requirement. And that was my mindset come into the game.

“Coming into that play. It was third-and-9, I think I was subbing in from the sideline — maybe I was already in the game, but I just remember being in the huddle. And I was just trying to embrace it, man. Everyone was screaming, yelling at us, millions of people it felt like. J.J. gave me my route, we looked at each other, I knew he was coming to me. And then we were able to connect on that sideline and then just turn up from there. And it was a great feeling coming to the sideline. I mean, we really needed that for our team. And that was a great game. We had to keep on battling the whole time.”

The next score in that game also came on the back of Johnson, as McCarthy hit him deep for a long touchdown, which gave Michigan its first lead of the game. It came on the next possession, and as play-by-play announcer Gus Johnson said of the Wolverines QB, ‘They said the kid couldn’t hit the deep ball!’

That was the narrative entering The Game, so the timeliness of that play was crucial. McCarthy went on to hit another deep shot to Colston Loveland to start the scoring deluge in the second half. But when it comes to this upcoming season, Johnson says there’s more of an emphasis on hitting those deep shots earlier and more often. Whatever happened last year remains in the rearview for these players, with the focus being on here and now as well as what’s in front of the team if it wants to reach its goal of a national championship.

“That’s a good point, because that’s something we want to connect on early and often,” Johnson said. “I mean, whether it’s the very first game of the season to the end of the season, we want to be able to be hitting on all our shots and having a good time on all routes. And it really just comes down to basically execution and trust knowing which guys are going to be where, and then having trust in those guys, knowing that those are the ones who are going to be able to get it done.

“And maybe it could have been a couple of different factors last year — that’s something that we’re not really focused on. Because it comes down to like, for me, personally, I’m just trying to control what I can control. Because I can’t be thinking about all these millions different things, when I know I just got to take care of my route and have that trust that if I get open the ball is gonna be there.”

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Why Cornelius Johnson decided to come back to Michigan football

Love all this! #GoBlue

After four years with the program, Michigan football wide receiver Cornelius Johnson could have decided he’s done enough and tried his hand at the NFL-level. While he might not have the eye-popping stats of some of his compatriots, given his skills and route-running ability, assuredly, some NFL team would have salivated at his potential following what’s likely to be a solid combine performance when he participates there.

But Johnson decided to come back to Ann Arbor for another year, and he told Jon Jansen on the ‘In the Trenches’ podcast that the team not achieving its overall goals in winning a national championship played a big role in his decision.

“In my mind. I’m like, dang, I can’t go out like that, like, I just have one more year, I really feel like we can attack that opportunity,” Johnson said. “Nothing’s guaranteed. It’s so difficult to go out there and win a Big Ten football game. Al those tough matchups, you can’t take any of it for granted. So we know that work we put in, but we had a double down on that and work even harder to do things we haven’t done before.”

Now that Michigan is in spring ball, with Ronnie Bell gone, Johnson realizes he has a unique opportunity. Not only to get better, but to assert himself more as a leader, as well.

In order to improve both in ability as well as mentoring the younger players, he’s adamant about attacking each component of spring ball as if the maize and blue are in the middle of a big game. He says that helps keep the intensity up, which helps him improve on a personal level.

“Just taking every day and being thankful for the opportunity and not taking that for granted,” Johnson said. “And like coming in and attacking that pretending each practice is like a tryout or a game or whatever it is in your mind where you can elevate the circumstances. And not just treat it like oh, yeah, just a regular March practice or spring practice — doesn’t matter. Because then once you get to that mindset, you start getting messed up mentally. (You learn that in) training and stuff, but that’s how I approach it, to attack each lift with enthusiasm.”

That same approach, Johnson says, also is something that aids him in being a leader and mentor to the younger players.

One of his goals this offseason is to lead by example, filling in the dearth left by Bell’s departure. He further elucidated on his strategy for leadership this offseason and why his method he feels will work with the younger crop of receivers.

“For me to be the best leader I can be, I’d value showing it through my plays, But also taking guys underneath me,” Johnson said. “Say, for example, we get out of practice, I’m about to go get some extra work with the quarterbacks or maybe get some extra catches and maybe even go in there and get another lift in after hours, bring someone with you. Bring a young guy with you. And be like, ‘Hey, come on with me. We’re about to go get some extra work,’ and really just dragging guys along with you, and trying to lead by example, because they might they may not have had that in their plans. They might have been trying to get out early, or try and take the easy route. But trying to show them that this is what it takes and tell them that in these games, that’s what’s gonna matter at the end of the day. So just bring along guys with you,

“And not trying to not necessarily trying to be like a whole motivational speech guy in front of everyone. I got some wise words in the back of my mind that I gotta say to everybody, but at the same time, it’s more about each individual. I mean, some people eat differently, even like a coaching style. But I would say just try and get close to everybody at an individual level.”

Michigan resumed spring practice after spring break with eyes on the annual spring game on April 1.

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Michigan football WR Cornelius Johnson makes NFL draft decision

YES! #GoBlue

Valiant Management launched the One More Year Fund days after the culmination of the 2022 Michigan football season, and it appears to have paid dividends.

The group focused on luring back running back Blake Corum, left guard Trevor Keegan, right guard Zak Zinter and wide receiver Cornelius Johnson for one more college season. While not included in the promo, linebacker Michael Barrett was another player Valiant hoped its name, image and likeness strategy would bring back to the fold.

It appears that the group is five-for-five.

On Sunday, Zinter and Barrett announced their plans to return, leaving Cornelius Johnson as the lone big-time player who hadn’t made his announcement. However, on Sunday night, Johnson announced he would, indeed, return to Ann Arbor for his fifth year.

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In 2022, Johnson was second on the team with 499 yards receiving but led all receivers with six touchdowns through the air. He led the team with 620 yards in 2021 after Ronnie Bell was injured in the season opener. Johnson’s big claim to fame was his two long touchdowns against rival Ohio State in the regular season finale.

With Johnson returning, the Wolverines will have at least one stalwart pass catcher to go along with Roman Wilson.

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‘The jobs not finished’ Michigan football is looking at its next challenge after beating Ohio State

Next weekend should be fun! #GoBlue

COLUMBUS, Ohio — The last time Michigan beat Ohio State in Columbus was back in 2000. The Wolverines defeated the Buckeyes to win the Big Ten. While the stakes are a little different in this era of football, Michigan needed to beat Ohio State in order to get back to the Big Ten Championship.

The Wolverines beat Ohio State last season in Ann Arbor, but going to Columbus is a whole new animal. The Buckeyes entered the game undefeated and ranked second in the country. Most of the pundits didn’t think Michigan could get the job done.

But after a second half where Michigan outscored Ohio State 28-3, Michigan won in consecutive years against its bitter rival. The Wolverines finished the regular season 12-0 after defeating the Buckeyes 45-23.

Mike Sainristil had another big game in the nickel position. He broke up a touchdown pass thrown to Cade Stover in the end zone to force Ohio State to kick a field goal and Sainristil made several open field tackles on the day. He told the media he knew Michigan had the game won going into the fourth quarter,

“Going into the fourth quarter,” said Sainristil “You know, we had a quick defensive talking, you know, the first thing we did was, we looked over at their sideline. And they were over there hanging their heads a little bit, you know, so we knew like are —  they’re vulnerable right now. And let’s go out there. Let’s keep passing on them. Keep, you know, taking away the run game, the pass game, and just take advantage of every opportunity.”

Beating Ohio State hasn’t been a norm for Michigan fans. But for most of these players, that’s all they know. The Wolverines didn’t play Ohio State in 2020 due to COVID-19. Some players on the roster played the Buckeyes in 2019, but the majority of them have played Ohio State twice in their career. Cornelius Johnson told the media this was personal for him. He is one of the players that lost to Ohio State in 2019 and he wanted to get the leg up on OSU.

“It’s definitely personal,” said Johnson. “I mean, for me, personally, like I was 1-1 (record) against these guys coming in, and I was even so I had to get up on these guys. Don’t feel like — you have everyone keeping track of your personal records. You know, even we had guys come in this year, old Michigan players come in and talk to us during a training camp. And all that people ask is what’s your record against State? And you know, like, doesn’t matter your personal achievements. What did you do? How was your record and how many rings you got? That’s what matters most. And I was glad I was able to come in here with my guys. And I take your business down here.”

J.J. McCarthy said Michigan wanted to beat Ohio State this year more than anything. The Wolverines don’t look back towards the past, the losses against Ohio State in years past don’t mean anything. But the sophomore was thrilled to get this win on Saturday.

“I mean, it’s huge. It’s huge,” said McCarthy. “We’re not so much of a team that looks to the past and worries about it. We’re always about the present and worried about changing the future and it was just one of those things where everything was aligned for us. We were ready. We wanted more than anything, and it was just really awesome to do it the way we did.”

At the end of the day, Michigan is 12-0. But like last year’s team always said ‘We haven’t done anything yet’. McCarthy reiterated on Saturday this win doesn’t matter in the grand scheme of things. Michigan wants to win the Big Ten Championship and get to the CFP. The job is not finished.

“I mean, it was it was great and all, obviously, to get a win — like every win is great, and especially this one,” McCarthy said. “But at the end of the day, this one doesn’t even matter. This doesn’t matter. The job’s not finished. we got so much more to do and so many places to go, so job’s not finished and we’re ready to get after it.”

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Guarded against overconfidence vs. MSU, Michigan focused on bringing Paul Bunyan Trophy back to Ann Arbor

#Michigan is locked in for this game! #GoBlue

ANN ARBOR, Mich. — Throw out the record books when it comes to rivalry games like Saturday’s tilt between Michigan and Michigan State, people often say. But with the No. 4 ranked team in the Wolverines facing an unranked 3-4 Spartans team, is there really a danger for the maize and blue on Saturday?

Yes, of course there is. And Michigan knows that.

Teams tend to get upset by others who are struggling usually when there’s a mixture of a better game plan from the underdog, as well as more physicality, and an overall lackadaisical attitude from the presumed favorite. Sometimes good teams get got, as some might say, and when that happens, it often is because the favorite comes into a matchup overconfident, so assured that it will win that it hasn’t put in the preparation or effort to win the game.

These Wolverines aren’t treating the Spartans that way this week.

Often, the battle for the Paul Bunyan Trophy is said to be MSU’s super bowl, a game that matters most to that program, regardless of how either team is faring. The players inside Schembechler Hall are aware that they will get Michigan State’s best on Saturday night, and they’re preparing accordingly, as to ensure that no upset will happen.

“Football is a game anyone can lose. Anyone can lose any given day,” junior running back Blake Corum said. “And so I think we’re confident with ourselves, we’re confident with what we can do. I don’t think we’re overconfident just because of the type of team we are. You know, we treat every game like it’s a championship game. And so there’s no such thing as going into the game, ‘Like we’re about to dominate them.’ Obviously, we think that right? We want dominate them, but it’s not overconfidence, just being confident.

“And so I feel like that’s how we’re gonna go into this game — just confident. We understand the record isn’t the same as last year when we met, right? But we’re confident. We know they’re coming to play, they’re gonna give us their best game. And like I said, Saturday can’t come fast enough.”

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OK, so Michigan is preparing as it should, that’s check No. 1. What about complacency? Is there any part of this team that’s expecting to go in and just roll?

According to one defensive player, they feel like they’re ready and able, but take nothing for granted.

“I don’t think we’re complacent at all,” junior safety Makari Paige said. “We know what this game means, so I feel like there won’t be no overconfidence. Confidence is good, but not overconfidence. We still know the game plan. We still know what we’ve gotta do.”

After winning two in a row in this series, the Wolverines have lost two. Michigan was a three-score favorite coming into the Week 2 game hosting MSU in 2020, but ultimately faltered. Both teams were undefeated heading into East Lansing in 2021, and the Wolverines were still favored. After jumping out to a 16-point lead, Michigan squandered it, unable to hold on, and lost that one, too.

Thus, there is no lack of focus for this squad, knowing what’s happened each of the last two years. If there’s a point in which these Wolverines intend to relax, it’s once the game is won and Paul Bunyan resides back in the home team locker room.

“It’s not even like that’s a question for us — overconfidence,” senior receiver Cornelius Johnson said. “It can definitely be a factor. But for us, we’re not taking that into — we’ve just got one focus. And that’s bringing back the Paul Bunyan Trophy into Schembechler. ”

Michigan and MSU will kick off at 7:44 p.m. EDT on Saturday at The Big House. The game will be nationally televised on ABC.

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Michigan WR Cornelius Johnson has an interesting approach to spring ball

This is really cool! #GoBlue

ANN ARBOR, Mich. — Last spring, Michigan football was all about renewing the energy and finding a sense of urgency after a moribund 2020 campaign. And it worked — the Wolverines beat Ohio State for the first time since 2011, won the Big Ten for the first time since 2004, and advanced to the College Football Playoff for the first time, period.

So, how will the maize and blue get motivated in a similar vein? It’s one thing to play with a chip on your shoulder, it’s another thing entirely when everyone’s coming for you.

Senior wide receiver Cornelius Johnson has an interesting approach — or rather, a series of interesting approaches. When it comes to spring ball, he has two mindsets: focus on the ‘state schools,’ as well as another which has him preparing as if it’s the season.

“Really just focusing on State – that’s what motivates me, whether it’s Penn State, Michigan State, or Ohio State,” Johnson said. “Either way, it’s State. So, those three, like they say, at Michigan, it’s a requirement.”

Of those three, Michigan was 2-1 a year ago, and while the Wolverines would like to take back the Paul Bunyan Trophy, a second-consecutive win over the arch-rival Buckeyes would go perhaps further in cementing the maize and blue as here to stay as a national power. However, if U-M is going to have a chance to go back-to-back beating OSU as well as winning the Big Ten, it all starts with a successful spring campaign.

For Johnson, the grind in March is a bit different than what happens in the fall. So, he’s come up with an interesting strategy to help him prepare for the slate that’s coming months down the road.

“Just try to find motivation because for spring ball, it’s weird because you’re not preparing for a game,” Johnson said. “I find it interesting because there’s 15 practices, so how I think about it in my head is each practice is like a game, for example. After the 12 games, you have the 13th, which is Indy, 14th practice would be the semifinals, 15th practice is the national championship. So it’s stuff in my head. Right now, we’re going into our seventh practice which would be our seventh game – I just make up stuff in my head to find motivation.

“That 12th practice, I don’t know what we’re doing that 12th practice, but make sure it’s something crazy.”

The Wolverines will continue spring practice through the month, with the sessions culminating on April 2 with the return of the annual spring game at The Big House.

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Michigan football isn’t letting CFP moment get too big

This is the right mindset to have!

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ANN ARBOR, Mich. — Last week, when Michigan football players met with the media, there was no ‘it’s just an honor to be here,’ no ‘we can’t believe we got here.’ When it comes to having beaten Ohio State, winning the Big Ten, and advancing to the College Football Playoff, these Wolverines say that this has been the goal. And it’s been expected.

Why has it been expected though? The maize and blue were 2-4 last year and were expected by many to struggle to make a bowl game in 2021.

For wide receiver Cornelius Johnson, it’s been about a mixture of taking each day at a time and execution.

“Well, the reason why some people say we’re not surprised is what we were talking about earlier, just taking it day-by-day,” Johnson said. “If you just take care of each day, you’re not really surprised by the work that you put in. All the work we’ve done in the summer, all the work we’ve done throughout the season it finds its way to shine. It’s no surprise, some of the awards and some of the victories and the place we’re in right now. It’s a result of all the effort and the whole process that’s been going on.”

That said, Michigan isn’t satisfied with its accolades to this point.

Sure, a win against the Buckeyes and a conference championship mean a lot, but there’s a lot more at stake. So the Wolverines will continue doing what they’ve done to this point: work.

“We’re just keeping it level-headed, not trying to change or do anything different, necessarily,” Johnson said. “Just play our brand of football. Just because we’ve won a few games, that’s good, but we’ve got another opponent on the line. We’ve just gotta focus on that opponent, which is the Georgia Bulldogs.”

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But herein lies another issue: with Dec. 31 being arguably Michigan football’s biggest to date, as the College Football Playoff didn’t come into existence until 2014, these players have to manage how they handle it.

There’s some consternation about the month between games on one end, and the team perhaps getting a little too excited once they find themselves on college football’s biggest stage. For Johnson, he says, again, it’s about taking things one step at a time, and realizing that just because the moment’s big, doesn’t mean it’s too big of a moment.

“It’s got to the point where you’ve gotta put yourself in that dark place and it’s almost in a sense where you can’t be thinking about the future,” Johnson said. “Because it’s all just comes down to one day – you’ve got one shot, one opportunity to seize everything you ever wanted.

“It does wear on you because you know it’s not just any other regular game – it’s a bowl game. It’s in a legendary stadium, legendary everything around you. It’s important to not get caught up in that hype, because at the end of the day, you’re just on the football field. It could be any field – on Glick, a high school field; it’s still just 100 yards, 100 yards long. That’s how I try to think about it to calm things down for me. Not to overthink it.”