Three Reasons Why Will Johnson Will Pick Michigan
Grosse Pointe (Mich.) Grosse Pointe South cornerback Will Johnson will make his decision tomorrow between Michigan, Ohio State and USC.
He's been linked pretty seriously to all three schools, but I feel pretty confident that it's going to be Michigan. Here's why...
1. Michigan is home
Johnson lives about an hour from Michigan Stadium and is a prideful Michigander. A lot of big time prospects feel like Michigan athletes are slept on so staying home to prove the naysayers wrong is a common theme. Also, being able to go to college that close to home is always a draw for recruits no matter how coveted they are by out-of-region schools. It's much more rare for a recruit to venture far from home than it is to stay within the footprint of where they're from.
2. Legacy
To go along with being a proud Michigander, Johnson is also a U-M legacy. His father Deon Johnson played cornerback for Michigan from 1990-94. Being the son of a former Wolverine doesn't guarantee a like-father-like-son path, but it's pretty common.
3. New Assistants
As good as Mike Zordich was at teaching, which definitely appealed to cornerback prospects, I think the hiring of Mo Linguist and Ron Bellamy is going to be the difference when it comes to Michigan landing Johnson. Linguist has already shown that he's an elite recruiter and, as a 36-year old African-American coach, he can connect with Johnson and his father in ways that Zordich simply couldn't. Throw in Bellamy, who became a trustworthy and elite high school coach in the Metro Detroit area over the last 10 years, and you have two guys who are going to be natural draws for Johnson. It also doesn't hurt that Bellamy is now assigned to the safeties, meaning he and Linguist are going to be working together much more closely than they would have had Bellamy stayed with wide receivers.