Will Johnson Talks USC, Commitment to Michigan, Domani Jackson, More
Grosse Pointe South cornerback Will Johnson is the gem of Michigan's 2022 class. As the son of a former player and as a local product he's been around the program a lot. In fact, he was just on campus on Wednesday for Michigan's "Detroit Day" recruiting event and really had a good time while in town.
"It went really well," he said. "I know all the guys from Michigan really loved it. They made us feel like we were at home. The new coaching staff is real easy to connect with. It’s different — different faces and different energy. It went really well."
Johnson brought up the staff's new energy without being asked about it so it must be pretty noticeable. Jim Harbaugh made it a point to get younger and more diverse and it seems to be paying off.
"It’s definitely different. Sometimes change is good," Johnson said. "I still love the old coaching staff but I do think it was time for a change. The younger guys came in with a different energy and they’re still great coaches too. I think that’s what we needed."
It's been a rare process for Johnson. Obviously the pandemic has kept him away from campus for more than a year and he's had three different cornerback coaches recruiting him during that time alone. He admits that it's been a little challenging but he likes how it worked out.
"Coach [Mike] Zordich, I loved him," Johnson stated. "He was [at the Ferris State camp] today and I still have a good relationship with him. I still like him as a coach. I had a really good relationship with Coach [Mo] Linguist even off the little bit we were together. That’s kind of what made me commit to Michigan. Then I’ve had a past relationship with Coach [Steve] Clink[scale] since I was in 8th grade since he gave me my first Power 5 offer. All the coaches that have been there have been good with me. They weren’t just random."
Even with Johnson being pretty solidly committed and comfortable with his position coach, USC cornerbacks coach Donte Williams has been all over the talented Michigan product. Williams came all the way to Ferris State just to spend some time with Johnson during the camp and the two definitely seemed close. Johnson is taking an official visit to USC next week and, while I'd still bet on Johnson signing with Michigan, the Trojans are looming and have a lot to offer as well.
"I don’t have too much to say about the visit," Johnson said with a smile. "I’m going out there to take a visit and see how it is. I’m still solid in my commitment and trying to get guys to come to Michigan."
Johnson's friend and fellow elite cornerback Domani Jackson is committed to the Trojans and will be working hard on Johnson while the two are together in LA. Johnson may end up sticking with the Maize and Blue, but Jackson and the Trojans will be factors.
"Even though he lives in California we’re like best friends," Johnson said of Jackson. "We talk about everything you can think of. Obviously our recruitment comes up a lot, but it’s not the main topic of conversation. We have a real good relationship on and off the field. We know if we were in the same secondary we’re shutting it down. That’s really what it is. We still want to play together but we’ll see how it goes.
"I’m trying hard to bring him to Michigan too. I want him to come here just like he wants me to come there. It’s going to be tough both ways but we’ll see how it works out."
Michigan has a few camps coming up including on Sunday and then week later on June 13, as well as some official visit weekends and the staff is expecting a lot of big name players and targets to come through. Johnson is excited about the upcoming events and plans to be around as much as possible.
"I might be up there on Sunday, but I'm not sure yet. The weekend after that and the weekend after that I’ll be up there though," he explained. "I want to be up there with the guys that are visiting. Myles Pollard, Jahlil Florence, another corner out of Cali; guys like that. June 18 will be all the commits and Walter Nolen. It’s a lot of guys actually. The next few weeks are going to be all our top targets so that’s why I have to be up there."
This season is going to be very important for Michigan for a lot of reasons, recruiting being one of them. The chances of landing high-profile players and hanging onto guys like Johnson go way up if Michigan wins. Conversely, they go down if U-M loses. Johnson knows that, but he also wants to be part of the solution is things go poorly.
"Obviously they have to have a good year this year," he said. "Me, personally, I know the ins and outs so I know what’s wrong and what needs to be improved. I feel like I know what to do to fix it with our recruiting class. The 2021 class has a lot of talented guys too. I feel like by the time we get there it’s going to be a lot better than it is right now."
There are a lot of reasons why Johnson picked the Wolverines and those same reasons are why it makes sense to stay committed to U-M. However, USC is pushing hard and official visits can change minds. Johnson seems committed to bettering Michigan, but we're a long way from National Signing Day. Smart money is still on the Wolverines, but it's not as automatic as it should be.