The last time star Michigan football cornerback Will Johnson wore the home jersey was in Week 4 against USC and the final time that he wore a winged helmet was in Week 8 at Illinois.
The offseason talk was that Johnson had never had a fully healthy season so his junior campaign had a lot of promise. However, he found himself more injured in year three than any other, having only appeared in six out of Michigan’s 12 games.
Though Sherrone Moore was asked about his bowl game status on Tuesday, it looks like even if the legacy corner is healthy, he won’t be playing in the ReliaQuest Bowl as he announced on Wednesday via Instagram that he is forgoing his final year and declaring for the 2025 NFL draft.
Johnson is expected to be the top cornerback picked in the draft but his injury concerns could have him fall behind Travis Hunter. Either way, the former five-star will be a day one pick and certainly left Ann Arbor better than he found it.
Michigan football is banged up. Super banged up. And while it hoped it could get some good news, there’s very little on the horizon in advance of the Ohio State game.
The Wolverines have struggled since early in the season to keep its players and healthy, as not only has Will Johnson, Amorion Walker, Rod Moore, Jaden Mangham, and Andrew Gentry missed multiple games, but Colston Loveland — who missed Week 4 with a shoulder injury — may also not be healthy enough to play against the Buckeyes. The Wolverines were also quite shorthanded at receiver last week with both Walker and Semaj Morgan out.
Now the official Big Ten availability report is out. Here is the full injury report for both Michigan football and Ohio State.
#Michigan needs some really good news Saturday morning.
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
Photo: Isaiah Hole
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.
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
Photo: Isaiah Hole
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.
We are on the doorstep of another Ohio State vs Michigan rivalry game and there are plenty of storylines to watch. One of those is the status of Wolverine star defensive back, Will Johnson, widely regarded as a first-round NFL draft pick come April.
Johnson has been dealing with an injury for a few games now but there were rumors that he might make it back for the game against the Buckeyes. However, based on multiple reports, he is expected to not play when things kick off for “The Game” at Noon ET on Saturday.
Johnson’s absence is huge if true. He has only played in six games this season and the Michigan pass defense has suffered greatly because of it, allowing 222.3 yards per game (No. 72 in FBS), while giving up 6.6 yards per pass attempt (remember, that includes incompletions).
Sources: Michigan All-American cornerback Will Johnson is not expected to play against Ohio State on Saturday. He’s been battling a toe injury that he suffered on Oct. 19 against Illinois. pic.twitter.com/oqod46xMRf
Having an All-American and potential top-ten NFL draft pick sidelined for the bitter rivalry on Saturday could unlock the passing game for Ohio State already more than what the gameplan would have called for.
[lawrence-related id=136469,136449,136439]
We’re still awaiting the status of Michigan’s star tight end, Colston Loveland as well. He left the Northwestern game last week with a shoulder injury. Head coach Sherrone Moore said that he is “trending in the right direction” at his press conference on Monday, but we’ll have to wait and see.
Contact/Follow us @BuckeyesWire on X (formerly Twitter) and like our page on Facebook to follow ongoing coverage of Ohio State news, notes and opinion. Follow Phil Harrison on X.
The Michigan football secondary has been a work in progress for much of the 2024 season. It’s not just been about working in new names like Jyaire Hill and Aamir Hall, but also because Will Johnson has been banged up since late against USC in Week 4.
Johnson was last seen in uniform in the first half of Week 8 against Illinois. But he hasn’t dressed since. And now, with rival Ohio State coming up, the Wolverines need him more than ever.
But that’s looking increasingly unlikely.
According to 247Sports’ Matt Zenitz, Johnson is expected to miss the regular season finale as he continues to deal with a lower body injury, thus leaving Michigan thin, once again, against Ohio State’s cadre of talented five-star wide receivers.
Michigan is expected to be without star cornerback Will Johnson vs. Ohio State, a source tells @CBSSports/@247Sports.
Though Michigan did give up nearly 300 yards passing to the top passing attack its seen this year (Oregon), until the final (essentially garbage time) drive, that number was around 200. The Wolverines will need to play a stellar game in all phases to have a shot against the Buckeyes.
Last week marked senior day, the final home game of the season. Thus, Johnson’s last home appearance was in Week 4 against USC and his potentially final Michigan game period was against Illinois in Week 8.
Michigan football has played multiple games either without star junior tight end Colston Loveland or with him limited. So, with Ohio State up next, the Wolverines are hoping that Loveland will be a full go.
Those hopes were somewhat dashed when Loveland left the Northwestern game in Week 13 after scoring a touchdown just before halftime.
“He’s trending in a good direction to be available,” Moore said. “So we’ll just continue to work and see what happens.”
Loveland set the single-season record for catches by a tight end in a Michigan football uniform on Saturday with 56 catches. Though he hopes to see him build on that total, Moore shared more about what makes Loveland such a special player beyond just his impact on the field.
“It’s been huge,” Moore said. “Ironically, his first touchdown was in The Shoe in 2022 as a true freshman. He’s just been extremely impactful in every way on the field. Obviously, off the field as a leader. Even as a junior, he’s a leader that everyone looks to. Just does everything the right way, works his tail off. And he’s going to be a phenomenal pro.”
Of course, hopes aren’t as high on junior cornerback Will Johnson, who last saw action in Week 8 at Illinois. The prognosis from Moore has remained, basically, the echoes of a broken record, as he says, ‘we’ll see.’
“Yeah, we’ll see about that one. Just continue to work through and see what doctors say.”
Could the Patriots go defense again with their first-round draft pick?
Some mock drafts are in full swing, and a recent one from ESPN has the New England Patriots selecting a playmaking corner with the sixth overall pick of the 2025 NFL draft.
Michigan’s Will Johnson would be a fit for New England, according to ESPN’s Matt Miller.
Johnson has been a staple on the Michigan defense during his time in Ann Arbor. He has 68 combined tackles, nine interceptions, 10 pass deflections and three interceptions returned for touchdowns during his three seasons with the Wolverines.
Miller believes the Patriots could benefit from another corner, as they look to reload the defense.
He wrote:
Left tackle is an important need for the Patriots, but the offensive tackle class isn’t strong beyond Kelvin Banks Jr. Instead of reaching, the Patriots could fill another need at corner with Johnson, my top-rated prospect in the class. The 6-foot-2, 200-pound Johnson fits the mold of Pat Surtain II, showing excellent ball skills and the physicality to hang with NFL wide receivers. He has been limited by injuries this season but has two interceptions, both of which were returned for touchdowns. Pairing Johnson with 2023 first-rounder Christian Gonzalez would give the Patriots a legitimate spot of strength on defense, and having two top corners on rookie contracts would give New England flexibility to build around them.
Johnson playing opposite Gonzalez would undoubtedly be a lethal combo, and it would give the Patriots one of the best corner tandems in the NFL.
There’s a lot of time between now and the NFL draft. Even still, the Patriots have a chance to land an impact playmaker within the first round. The organization has a lot of needs, and they’ll have a tightrope to walk in their decisions when filling them.
Time is running out for Will Johnson to strap on a winged helmet for one last time — presumably.
The projected first-round NFL draft pick has another year of eligibility, but given his draft status, it’s unlikely he’ll use it. As such, it also seems unlikely that Johnson will play in a non-College Football Playoff bowl game if he was healthy.
The question has been whether or not Johnson will return for the penultimate regular season game for Michigan football vs. Northwestern. However, according to 247Sports’ Matt Zenitz, that looks unlikely, as he reports that Johnson is still set to be out.
Michigan is expected to again be without star cornerback Will Johnson when it faces Northwestern Saturday due to a lingering toe injury, sources tell @CBSSports/@247Sports.
There’s been no determination made yet on Johnson’s status for next week’s game vs. Ohio State.… pic.twitter.com/HzwNpvDQwq
Johnson missed the tail-end of the Week 4 contest against USC and then the Minnesota game. He played at Washington and started against Illinois before leaving in the first half. Since, he’s been a scratch, but the hope is he’ll be able to go in the regular season finale next week, on the road at Ohio State.
Michigan football is hosting the No. 1 team in the country on Saturday with Oregon coming to town. But it will be even more of an uphill climb than it appeared to be going into the game with multiple starters out against the Ducks.
It was reported on Friday night that starting cornerback Will Johnson would be out for the second straight week after sustaining an injury at Illinois, but yet another defensive back starter will be out against the best passing offense the Wolverines will have seen to this point.
Here is the official injury report for both Michigan and Oregon now that the Week 10 game is at hand.
All-American cornerback Will Johnson won’t be able to play against the No. 1 Ducks on Saturday.
In order to defeat No. 1 Oregon, Michigan needs all hands on deck.
Fortunately for the Ducks, that won’t be the case for the Wolverines.
According to multiple reports, All-American corner Will Johnson will miss his second straight game, including Saturday’s game against Oregon.
With the Michigan offense already hamstrung with multiple quarterbacks, missing Johnson on the defensive side of the ball just adds insult to injury.
Johnson isn’t having that productive of a year as compared to last season where he was Jim Thorpe semifinalist and an All-Big Ten performer. This year in six games, Johnson had 14 tackles and two interceptions. In 2023, he had 25 tackles and three picks.
While Michigan hasn’t been specific on the injury, it’s believed to be a low-body injury and Johnson is week-to-week. The Wolverines were hoping he would be healthy enough to play against the Ducks on Saturday, but the decision came down Friday night that the All-American would need at least another week to heal.
