Michigan Football: 5-star Domani Jackson spurns Wolverines, what’s next?

Michigan football didn’t have much momentum with five-star cornerback recruit Domani Jackson, so when he committed to USC on Saturday, it wasn’t a huge surprise.

It was still a major loss for the Wolverines, as Jackson, the No. 1 cornerback in the class of 2022 and the fourth-ranked prospect overall according to the 247 sports composite rankings, once called Michigan his dream school and even visited back in November on a self-guided tour.

Back then, before all the rumors about Harbaugh and before the bottom fell out on the 2020 season, the Wolverines were viewed as a potential favorite for Jackson, who grew up as a Michigan football fan just like his dad.

Yet, the uncertainty and the decision by U-M to let go of Mike Zordich, kind of put the Wolverines in a tough spot, especially since Mike Macdonald and Maurice Linguist were just announced this week as the newest additions of the staff.

Linguist did reach out to Jackson and Michigan’s new cornerbacks coach promises to recruit Jackson all the way up till signing day, but now the focus has to turn to Will Johnson.

Johnson is another elite cornerback and he’s from the state of Michigan. The Grosse Pointe product is the No. 8 player in the 2022 class and No. 1 in the state. He’s 6-foot-3, 190 pounds and his father played for the Wolverines, who own all of his crystal ball projections right now.

At one time, there was talk about Johnson and Jackson being a package deal of sorts. Johnson recently visited USC and both players have also visited Ohio State.

The Buckeyes have been making a strong push and could be the top competitor for Johnson, although Jackson is going to try and recruit him to USC.

The good news for Michigan football fans is that Linguist had been in touch with Johnson, who had positive things to say about their interactions. The fact that Jourdan Lewis offered up his endorsement of Linguist is also noteworthy in this recruitment.

Johnson has also been in touch with Macdonald, who is listed as the defensive coordinator, which means he will be the one calling the plays.

So the full-court press is on and while Linguist has made Michigan football a player with a number of other defensive backs in 2022, Johnson is the ultimate prize and the Wolverines just can’t afford to miss on him, especially to Ohio State.

Xavier Worthy in Ann Arbor

On another important note, four-star wide receiver signee Xavier Worthy, is in Ann Arbor as reported by The Wolverine and it appears all the worries about him are over.

At the very least, I don’t think we need to worry about Worthy playing for anybody but Michigan football next season. Let’s just put it that way.

Also from Saturday: If you needed a reminder of how good future Michigan running back Donovan Edwards is and will be, take a look at this:

Edwards rushed for 257 yards and scored three touchdowns at Ford Field as he led West Bloomfield to a state championship. Both he and his head coach Ronald Bellamy, who was announced as a staff addition for U-M shortly after, will be in Ann Arbor soon too.

In terms of recruiting, adding Bellamy was a huge win and right now, the Wolverines look ready to make some waves on the trail.