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Wolverine Digest

Michigan Has 'Slight Edge' in Recruitment of 2027 4-Star CB Darius Johnson

The Wolverines are looking to add talent in a position of need.
Trent Knoop|
Matt Pendleton-Imagn Images

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Michigan Wolverines

With Michigan set to lose three starting cornerbacks after the 2026 season, the new coaching staff is making it a priority to recruit some top-end corners for the 2027 cycle. Michigan has already been named a finalist for five-star corner Joshua Dobson, and the Maize and Blue is a finalist for another star corner.

Recently, four-star cornerback Darius Johnson named a final four with Michigan making the cut. The Wolverines are a top contender along with Cal, UCLA, and Oregon.

Johnson took an unofficial visit to Michigan back in late March to visit with the staff and by all accounts it was a very successful trip for the standout corner.

The Riverside (CA) Notre Dame prospect is a 6'1", 155-pound corner, who is ranked as the No. 311 prospect, per Rivals Industrial Ranking. Johnson is also listed as the No. 36 corner in the 2027 cycle and the No. 28 prospect from the state of California.

Johnson has official visits locked in with Cal, Oregon, and Michigan. He will return to Ann Arbor on June 19 for his official stop with the Wolverines, which, as of now, will finish his official visits.

Michigan will the slight edge for Johnson

Just purely looking at Rivals' Recruiting Prediction Machine, Michigan has the lead for Johnson. The Cal prospect has a good shot of heading East with the Wolverines having a 65% chance to land Johnson. The RPM has Oklahoma in second — the Sooners didn't even make his final four cut.

To further prove that Michigan appears to have an edge, Rivals' Adam Gorney wrote intel regarding both the Wolverines and UCLA having a 'slight edge' in his recruitment. But Gorney would later talk about the relationship Johnson has with Michigan's coaching staff.

"With Michigan, Johnson has known new position coach  basically from the beginning of his recruitment and that carries a ton of weight. Plus his brother, Derrick, went to Oklahoma so leaving home isn’t a major issue. But Cal is pouring it on really thick and a recent trip to Berkeley could not have gone better," Gorney recently wrote.

A position of need

As mentioned earlier, Michigan is set to lose three starters after the 2026 season as Jyaire Hill, Zeke Berry, and Smith Snowden will all graduate. The Wolverines are hoping Shamari Earls and true freshman Jamarion Vincent will take the next step in their development to become starters next year.

The transfer portal is always a likely option for Kyle Whittingham's staff, too.

But the new staff has mentioned several times that they want to develop players. Landing a few corners in the 2027 staff is a foregone conclusion and a player like Darius Johnson could become an immediate playmaker in 2027 if he came to Ann Arbor.

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Trent Knoop
TRENT KNOOP

Trent began writing and covering Michigan athletics back in 2020. He became a credentialed member of the media in 2021. Trent began writing with Sports Illustrated in 2023 and became the Managing Editor for Michigan Wolverines On SI during the 2025 football season. Trent also serves as the Publisher of Baylor Bears on SI. His other bylines have appeared on Maryland on SI, Wisconsin on SI, and across the USA TODAY Sports network. Trent’s love of sports and being able to tell stories to fans is what made him get into writing.

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