Michigan Football is trending with elite CB and it has big implications

Michigan football might be struggling on the field but the Wolverines are in a solid position with cornerback Will Johnson, the top in-state recruit in 2022.

It might be hard to imagine with the way Michigan football has looked on the field in the past few weeks, but the Wolverines are trending in the right direction with elite in-state recruit Will Johnson.

Johnson is a 6-foot-3, 190-pound corner out of Grosse Pointe and he’s the No. 3 player at his position in the 2022 class according to the 247 sports composite rankings, as well as the top-ranked player in the state of Michigan.

And now, he has a a slew of crystal balls projecting him to Michigan football.

This movement comes right after Johnson and a number of other recruits in the 2021 and 2022 classes took self-guided visits to Ann Arbor over the weekend.

Five-star quarterback commit J.J. McCarthy was among that group, as was five-star cornerback in 2022, Domani Jackson, who Johnson has grown close with. There is also talk now of a package deal with both corners possibly attending the same school.

So, with Michigan now getting some predictions for Johnson, you wonder if some will soon follow for Jackson, who recently was projected by some experts to both USC and Ohio State.

Johnson is the second 2022 recruit the Wolverines started trending with this week, as top-200 safety prospect Isaac Thompson, who is committing Dec. 4 is expected to choose Michigan now.

Why do these recruits still like Michigan?

Obviously, crystal balls aren’t commitments, but they still matter especially when it’s guys like Sam Webb of the Michigan Insider and Steve Wilftong of 247 sports making predictions.

Webb interviewed Johnson and one excerpt he posted was about how Johnson views some of the struggles in Ann Arbor as an opportunity.

It’s one thing to remember. Recruits don’t live and die with each loss like fans do. Plus guys like McCarthy, Johnson and Jackson, they probably feel like they have the ability to turn things around wherever they go and at U-M, some could see a path to playing time even earlier.

Johnson’s dad played for the Wolverines and Jackson grew up a Michigan fan. Michigan’s Rivals reporter, EJ Holland also expressed confidence in where Michigan stands with both Jackson and Johnson in one of his latest updates (subscription required).

Both recruits got to spend a lot of time together this weekend, along with McCarthy and others. And as good as McCarthy is as a quarterback, he’s been a great leader already and if you listen to this Michigan Insider Podcast episode and hear McCarthy talk about the vibe, you’ll feel better about where the Wolverines stand overall and from a recruiting perspective.

These self-guided visits are a good sign for Michigan, although U-M isn’t the only school doing this sort of thing. But Jackson, the No. 3 overall player in 2022, said about Michigan, “I love it.”

https://twitter.com/Domani_Dad_MD22/status/1328380110966165504

His dad also tweeted about the weekend that it was a successful business trip, which should make Michigan fans hopeful.

Certainly, the Wolverines need to improve on the field and getting some wins in the next few weeks with Rutgers, Maryland and Penn State on the schedule before the Buckeyes will help, but at the very least, this is some sort of positive momentum for the program.