Michigan is expected to be without star cornerback Will Johnson for its Saturday night rivalry game with Michigan State, according to CBS Sports' Matt Zenitz. Johnson is ranked No. 2 overall in the 2025 CBS Sports NFL Draft Prospect Rankings and is an integral piece of the Wolverines defense.
Johnson left Michigan's 21-7 loss at Illinois last week in the first quarter with an apparent ankle injury. He was then regarded as questionable throughout the week with secondary coach LaMar Morgan saying Wednesday that Johnson was "working to play this weekend."
"The game is not played today," Morgan said, per The Michigan Insider. "There's a lot of guys that maybe didn't go full speed all the way until Wednesday and Thursday and had a heck of a game on Saturday. So that's kind of what Will is doing right now, just trying to get his mind right. He's always in the game plan, in the front row, challenging guys, coaching every day. So that's kind of what Will is doing right now. We're excited about Will. I know when he gets on the field, he'll go 100%."
Johnson was a CBS Sports first-team preseason All-American after a standout 2023 season when he helped the Wolverines win the national title. The 6-foot-2 corner was named defensive MVP of Michigan's 34-13 win over Washington in the College Football Playoff National Championship.
The Detroit native already has a pair of interception returns for touchdowns in 2024 and three pass deflections. He's intercepted nine passes over the course of his three-year career.
