Previously: Last year’s profiles. S Damani Dent, S/Nk Zeke Berry, S/HSP Keon Sabb, CB Myles Pollard, CB/Nk Kody Jones.

Grosse Pointe, MI – 6'3”, 190
[David Nasternak]		247: 6'3/190     4.80*	4*, 97, #35 overall #4 CB, #1 MI
		Rivals: 6'2/182     4.97*	5*, 6.1, #5 overall #1 CB, #1 MI
		ESPN: 6'1/180     4.82*	4*, 88, #4 MW #4 CB, #1 MI
		On3: 6'3/190     4.88*	5*, 98, #32 overall #4 CB, #1 MI
		Composite:     4.93*	5*, 0.9925, #14ovr #3 CB, #1 MI
		Other Suitors	27, USC
		YMRMFSPA	Marlin Jackson
Previously On MGoBlog	Hello post by me.
Notes	Twitter. AA All-American. Early enrollee.
Film:
ABSOLUTELY LUDICROUS SENIOR HIGHLIGHTS WATCH WATCH WATCH: Hudl. TheWolverine's game highlights. 7v7. UA highlights. Coach Hayes (jr season) .

There comes a point in every man's dynasty when he's desperate for help at a certain position, doesn't see a fair way out, and is ready to give the create-a-player function a try. You make him some ludicrous size—the maximum height without sacrificing speed. You blast everything up to 99, then scale back just enough to be reasonable. You place him in the major city nearest your home state, and give him the last name of a favorite former player. You save, the game builds the next class, and then there he is.

With your rival listed on top.

Much more so than Donovan Edwards in the class prior, Will Johnson was the homegrown five-star Michigan *had* to get. Here was this legacy, the son of two Michigan grads, one of whom started opposite Ty Law and helped create Detroit's 7-on-7 program, Max Ex, where Will grew up watching the development of Jourdan Lewis, Lavert Hill, and Ambry Thomas. A kid who grew up in the heart of Southeast Michigan's football community, a kid who knew everyone in every site's Top 250, a kid who by his decision could give the future of Michigan legitimacy, or provide incontrovertible evidence it was history. Oh, and speaking of history, Michigan hadn't recruited an elite athlete at cornerback since Thomas, and the position was a disaster zone.

In the darkest days of 2-4 and staff uncertainty, Johnson took a trip to Columbus with fellow jumbo blue chip cornerback Domani Jackson, and dire rumors began to percolate that both had left silent commitments to well-compensated hell. Whether or not it had any bearing on Michigan retaining Harbaugh, plucking state champ Ron Bellamy from the Metro-D coaching ranks, or the subsequent hire of Mo Linguist, then Steve Clinkscale for cornerbacks, fans reacted to every decision on State Street that winter with the same question: How does this affect Will Johnson's recruitment?

The ducks were finally aligned, and Johnson's commitment to Michigan came in late February 2021. Other than planning a trip to OSU (soon canceled) when Linguist left, a free visit to LA with Domani, and the big baggers taking an NIL swing at the very end, the next year passed with little drama. Johnson assumed the role that McCarthy had played in the 2021 class, getting Michigan into recruitments they had no business disturbing. Michigan leaned into it, declaring a "Detroit Day" on campus over the summer as part of a program-wide reaffirmation of the link between Ann Arbor and its closest major city. One service may rank one of the other guys higher, but this is Will's class.

---------------------

Size 99, Agility 99, Acceleration 99

As with Pollard, size is the first thing you see. Then he starts moving like a fetch.

• Rivals' Josh Helmholdt: "looks every bit his listed size of 6-foot-2 and 182 pounds, but he is so fluid and such a gifted athlete for the cornerback position."
• Rivals' Mike Farrell: "he’s big but not thick and he’s tall and rangy and angular. I am going with Eli Apple but Jalen Ramsey is also possible. That’s his ceiling."
• Rivals' Adam Gorney: "excellent size but does not lack fluidity or the ability to break on passes and trust his vision to make plays."
• 24/7's Allen Trieu: "Excellent combination of size, experience, ball skills and intelligence. Basketball player with very natural athleticism and ability to track and play the ball in the air … Smooth in his backpedal and transition.
• 24/7's Chris Singletary: "immediately see his size and length as a major plus along with a frame to continue to add size and mass … displayed excellent ball skills and fluid hips and long speed to carry receivers on deep routes."
• On3's Charles Power: "pairs great size with silky smooth movement skills."
• ESPN's Craig Haubert: "rangy and heady."
• Pylon's Paul Gonnella: "tall and long with thick lowers … twitchy athlete even though he has long levers. Has great reaction skills. He can run. He can put his foot in the ground and change direction. Will can jump and shows great balance and body control. He is an elite athlete."
• 11W's Zack Carpenter: "Johnson has the size and the length that Coombs loves in a cornerback. Add in Johnson’s competitiveness, how he gets out of his breaks, his 4.5 speed in the 40 and ball skills, and all of that makes him one of if not the top target for the Buckeyes in the 2022 cornerback class."
• Scarlet and Gray Report (formerly Buckeye Grove)'s Joseph Hastings: "Prototypical wingspan and height … nightmare for quarterbacks….One of the best all-around athletes I have studied thus far in the 2022 cycle."
• Irish Illustrated's Kevin Sinclair: "His size is overwhelming and his athleticism isn’t missing any components. The reach on this young corner, alone, is a major problem for wide receivers."

The holdout was On3, which kept saying things like "he plays cornerback like a receiver" from when they launched until Under Armour week, when they all became enamored.

I found eight CBs in the 24/7 database who were 6-2 or more and ranked within 20 spots of Johnson on the composite.* All eight started as freshmen, all but one with off-field issues were excellent college players, and all were in the NFL after three years.

The only top-50 guy who didn't work out was MSU's Julian Barnett, another Max-Ex product. On the other hand, SMSB people will also tell you about a 6'2"/163 beanpole in Barnett's class who ran a 4.74 forty named Ahmad "Sauce" Gardner.

Speed…uh….88?

Grosse Pointe South HC Tim Brandon said he's "deceptively fast because he’s so long; it kind of looks like he’s just coasting, but he’s moving." Johnson's legs aren't a pattering in a blur, but in four years of people watching him there's yet to be an instance when his top gear wasn't plenty.

Sam Webb reported a 4.47 forty from the Best of the Midwest camp. Rivals reported 4.46 from the same camp. Trieu said that was good at the time, but in his Jan 2022 evaluation bemoaned the lack of anything since:

Between Covid-19, his AAU basketball schedule and then an ankle injury he suffered during the season, we have not had a chance to get verified testing on him or see him go against national receiver prospects at camps.

but?

but we did not see receivers run by him in high school or those events.

It was the same with On3. Power was all "I think he has good play speed for his size. He’s not going to be a guy who runs 4.3…." and Tim Verhese was all like "I’m not sure if Johnson is a burner in terms of long speed, but I also didn’t see him out of phase much. He’s a smooth, coordinated mover and that helps," and I'm like okay man but where is he supposed to go other than to the ball? When the analysts turned the mic around on the recruiting reporter, EJ Holland was quick to point out Johnson led GPS's relay team to the state track meet.

Hastings the Buckeye was guessing too:

… has a quick first step and can take it to another gear in a moment's notice. I did not really see too many examples of his recovery speed or him chasing down ball carriers, but I imagine he can keep up his speed for long distances based on some of the go routes he ran as a receiver.

Zone Coverage (aka Ball Skills): 99

Everyone got to see Johnson at the UA All-American practices/game. Singletary was sold as far as man coverage:

Johnson showed that he can play in any scheme and utilize different techniques and play all over the field. He was rarely, if ever, caught in a bad football position which enabled him to make numerous plays.

and zone earlier in the week:

He has excellent length and what he’s done and what I like in off coverage is he’s shown the ability to read the route, stay in his pedal, stay squared, and then transition and close. Again, (he’s) playing at a high level against some of the best wide receivers in the country, so Will has been really, really good and smooth.

The UA performance convinced On3's Power to hand over that 5th star, because Johnson "made the most plays on the ball of any corner that we probably saw at either all star game." Gerry Hamilton agreed that Johnson's "ability to break on the ball is top shelf." Tim Verghese said he was…

most impressed with his ball skills and instincts. We saw him jump a bunch of routes. The receiver and basketball backgrounds showed up when the ball was in the air. He just got his hands on a lot of passes.

Man Coverage: 99?

via Rivals, obviously

Trieu also liked what he saw in zone but spent the entire cycle on a quest to see Will Johnson play man. This…

Has shown he can play in a variety of coverages. Ball skills are valuable when he is playing deep zone, but All-Star games and 7-on-7s allowed us to see more of him in man to man where he is very capable.

is in the same final eval paragraph as this:

Still likely needs more reps in man, but intangibles suggest he will pick that up quickly.

Trieu's main complaint when seeing Johnson at a 7v7 in 2020 was "did not see him take many 1-1 reps." When their Southern and national staff crossed paths with Max Ex in Miami the following January, Johnson was playing safety due to an ankle injury. When Johnson did get to a camp, he was so swarmed by attention-seeking Mel Tuckers that the scouts could only make fun of them. Trieu finally got his heart's desire at the UA game:

He’s definitely been one of the top cover corners on his side of the teams. At his size, he can play man to man. He looks really, really good out here.”

But it didn't translate into a ratings bump, or into the evaluation ostensibly published afterwards. On3's Gerry Hamilton, on the other hand, went all in at that hand:

We entered the week wanting to see Will Johnson in man coverage against some top receivers. He answered the bell. Johnson made the most plays of any corner in Orlando. … smooth mover in coverage and has plus ball skills. We didn’t see him beat very often in practice.

It also convinced Rivals to move him up to 5 stars, with Gorney like "Will Johnson was so good. Consistently great… can move better than I expected. Everything that we want out of the #1 cornerback."

Johnson was tagging along with his dad on 7v7 trips since he was walking, and 7v7 is mostly man to man, so it's not like this is foreign to him. GPS played mostly man defense when Johnson wasn't hurt and playing safety. But it's not hard to guess this was a major talking point whenever they 24/7's people were discussing what they knew.

Coach Hayes unfortunately made his video on the COVID-shortened junior film (I would have loved his take on 2021) but thought Johnson did a great job with his off hand, and showed great feet, which allowed him to be patient on breaks. I'll add that this is where great jam corners come from, though he's not going to have the strength advantage in college that he showed on the Po' Timmies and padless 7v7 receivers.

Awareness: 99

Most of the above-linked scouting reports include "intelligence" or "experience" or both at the top of WJ's list of attributes. Trieu noted growing up in SMSB then starting all four years at GPS "makes him a smart, technically sound player which also contributes to him being in position to make those plays." After expressing more uncertainty about speed, Power asserted Johnson's "refined feet, recognition skills and ability to make plays on the ball were undeniable."

Hastings (from Rivals' OSU site) thought Johnson's coverage came from knowing. He "does an excellent job of turning his hips and understanding where the receiver will make his next break" and showed "countless examples of Johnson's great anticipation as well, which you can attribute to multiple factors."

Rivals' national guys called Johnson "The Psychic" when handing out UA practice awards:

What stands out the most about his performance thus far is his instincts. Johnson has done a great job jumping routes and using his long arms to break up passes all over the field. He's had a couple plays where he broke early on passes but dropped the ball, otherwise he'd have at least one pick 6.

Off Field Stuff: 99

Should mention that SMSB is also an off-field mentoring program. Dad is a pillar of the Detroit community, not just in football. Mom, also a Michigan grad, is a college professor. Will himself wants to go into commercial real estate. Other than being 6'3" and toting around a much cooler backpack, I don't think Johnson's going to have trouble blending in with the rest of the freshmen. Harbaugh:

Will’s a signature guy in the class. He’s a 99.00 five-star, and he’s an even better guy. I can’t tell you how much he’s meant to us and this recruiting class. Everybody in the class wants to room with Will. Just a great guy.

Tackling: 89

The sites don't focus on it when evaluating cornerbacks, but Johnson's tape showed some really nice tackles. Coach Hayes mumbled about tackling technique then the next two plays made him take it back. Scarlet & Gray Report's film review focused on it more:

not a finesse tackler; he goes after opposing ball carriers and wideouts with the mindset of an inside linebacker. … gives it 100 percent every single play. On top of being a punishing tackler, Johnson is also very physical as soon as the ball is hiked.

Is he staying at cornerback?

This was a trick with NCAA 2014, that you could recruit a big cornerback then change him to like an 89-rating safety. Johnson played safety for his team when they needed him, and but for [gestures at the depth chart] it's not the craziest idea to have this guy flying around deep. Brooks acknowledged Johnson is "projected to cornerback, but could fit just about anywhere in the secondary and succeed." Hamilton said "he could play anywhere in the secondary." Holland said he "projects as a tall, long, physical corner at the next level. But he can move around in the secondary if needed.” Gonnella said "evaluating Will at CB will do him an injustice because he has the position specific skills to play multiple positions," but then evaluated him as a CB.

The only site really pushing the idea of safety was On3, which came out in Power's NFL comp:

Power has held the belief Johnson’s ceiling is higher at safety and I tend to believe he could convert to safety as well before his Michigan career is over. Both Simmons and Johnson have high-end ball skills. Johnson specifically looks like a receiver playing defensive back at times. Similar measurables and versatility, with great hands and add value in run support. Simmons is considered one of the top defensive backs in the league and Johnson can reach a similar ceiling if all goes according to plan in his time at Michigan.

It would be nice if Michigan goes on a run of 5-star cornerbacks and can afford to use Johnson in another role, but if it comes to that something's probably gone very 2003 in the secondary, and I've already lived my fill of freshman Ryan Mundy and rollout punting, thank you very much.

How soon? Johnson got a leg up by getting to Michigan early—not just enrolling in December, but driving in for practices($) once a week last season. Unfortunately he missed most of spring practices with an injury, but we saw plenty of him in the game.

Harbaugh didn't bother trying the ol' freshman slow-play after spring ball:

“Will Johnson, you can just see it. He’s that type of athlete. When he covers guys, he’s right there with them. He’s gonna play and be battling for a starting position.”

…though he did note that Johnson, like other freshmen, needs to improve his strength and endurance in order to be a regular contributor. Minter also said he expects Johnson to see the field in fall. Clink did too. If the coaches are saying it already, it's probably already there. Balas quoted a "some" who said Johnson's "already playing like the best corner on the team," which I take to mean other than DJ Turner or else WHEEEEEHOOOOO.

NIL: Making it.

Is he a five-star really, or just close to it? The one thing we kept hearing from 24/7, other than Trieu's man quest, was they couldn't get a verified forty time for some reason. It was also an odd year for 24/7s national rankings, when their top two Big Ten signees were both hybrid space players they comped to Isaiah Simmons.

They and ESPN were the two sites who kept Johnson at 4 stars, with 24/7 even pushing him out of their top-25. Truthfully their rating barely changed. After the Miami event, he slipped from top-15 to about where he ended up in early 2021 when the wave of junior film added guys to the class. It was weird that Johnson barely rose after the UA performance, especially since they should have seen plenty of the thing they were after. Shrug.

ESPN's ranking was less honest; they moved a bunch of SEC recruits into 5-star territory at the end to facilitate narratives about the SEC. ESPN is very close to getting dropped from our recruiting coverage.

As for Rivals going all the way up, unfortunately I think that was a bit of Rivals doing the thing where they bump guys who show up to events they cover:

The cornerback class was tough to figure out because Jaheim Singletary and Domani Jackson did not participate in the Under Armour Game because of COVID-19 protocols and injury, respectively. But Michigan signee Will Johnson was so good all week it would have been tough not to move him to No. 1 at the position.

Appreciated, still feels like punishing a bye. On the other hand "competitive intensity came through in each of the four practices" could mean one of those things, you know, because it's really the players themselves who make themselves better.

Etc. Plays basketball. Would have been as highly rated as a receiver. Create-a-player avatars are still a bit Uncanny Valley.

Kerry Coombs told him "I only recruit first rounders." Lawyers: recruits, not develops.

Why Marlin Jackson? I'm not going to claim Will Johnson is going to have a profound effect on the social and emotional learning of an entire city, but as a college football player we have a very good local comp for a super-tall cornerback who tackles like a safety, could play it in an It's You or Willis Barringer scenario, and might be a nickel—as Woodson and Jackson ended up—in the pros. Charles Woodson is the other comp.

Outside of our multi-All-Americans, Bama's Patrick Surtain II or Georgia's Tyson Campbell (both from the same high school, where Surtain Sr. coaches, fun fact) are other obvious comps. On3's Charles Power—again the one would wouldn't praise speed—suggested former BC cornerback Justin Simmons, a guy I thought of for Keon Sabb. Will had a comp of his own, for which I'll quote from WJ's Hello post:

Johnson was looking at LSU last spring and said he’s modeling his game a lot on 6-1/195 All-American Derek Stingley Jr., a comp I find interesting because Stingley is all arms.

Guru Reliability: High. Top national prospect whose high school exploits were televised, went to lots of camps and 7v7 competitions and caught all the eyes. ESPN is close to getting thrown out of my calculations.

Variance: Low. As steeped in football as you can get: been in the 7v7 scene his whole life, Dad played here when I was old enough to remember, already threatening to start.

Ceiling: Waaaaaaaay up there. Like I doubt even Zoltan could lodge a football up there. I mean…he's a guy the height of Braylon who can move like Jourdan.

General Excitement Level: 42-27. You knew it would happen eventually, but you are still just so happy, and relieved, and feel more like yourself than you have in ages.

Projection: Vincent Gray's decision to leave for the NFL wasn't the first, but certainly one of the loudest hints that Johnson is probably going to start, if not at the beginning of 2022, probably by the middle of it. The second hint was a Mike Sainristil immediately ascending to the top of the depth chart in spring. DJ Turner II has one corner spot on lockdown, but depending on how the nickel battle shakes out Johnson exited spring behind Sainristil and Gemon Green, or just Green, for the boundary role.

Charles Woodson, Marlin Jackson, and Leon Hall all worked their way into the starting lineup by mid-season, and had some freshmen moments on the way there, and I would expect the same. After that: LFG. Even with the more complicated coverages Michigan likes to run, cornerback is probably the most plug-and-play position on the field, and Johnson's talent is well beyond that of anyone else on the roster. I expect Johnson to stick at cornerback despite the safety size—you don't get erasers like this often—and go early in the 2025 draft. Maybe there will be a bit of a receiver in Year 3, you know, to please the reel folk.