Michigan Football: More crystal balls for Will Johnson and others

Michigan football recruit Will Johnson Syndication: Detroit Free Press
Michigan football recruit Will Johnson Syndication: Detroit Free Press /
facebooktwitterreddit

As the decision day for five-star recruit Will Johnson moves closer, Michigan football continues to pick up crystal ball projections for the elite 2022 defensive back. 

While there is a ton of excitement surrounding the Michigan basketball team right now, there are plenty of reasons to be excited about what’s going on with Michigan football right now too.

Not only have the Wolverines started spring ball and are getting to see 2021 five-star quarterback J.J. McCarthy for the first time, but the new defensive staff has also been put in place.

Speaking of the new staff, things have really ramped up in the recruiting department, especially since the hire of Maurice Linguist, the co-defensive coordinator and cornerbacks coach.

Linguist was able to reel in a pair of four-star defensive backs from Tennessee and it’s clear that he played a huge role in turning around the recruitment of Will Johnson, a five-star defensive back from the state of Michigan who is deciding Sunday.

The additions of Taylor Groves and Kody Jones got his attention and with his decision just around the corner, things are fully trending in Michigan’s direction.

Earlier this week, Steve Wiltfong, a top national recruiting analyst for 247 sports, increased his confidence in his crystal ball for Johnson to Michigan to a nine out of 10.

And if that wasn’t enough for Michigan football fans to be confident, in the last two days, 247 sports experts who focus on USC and Ohio State have each put in picks for Johnson to U-M too.

Obviously, in the world of recruiting, anything can happen, but as of right now, the Wolverines have to feel really good about their chances of landing Johnson on Sunday.

Another in-state recruit projected to U-M

Michigan has been trending with in-state recruit Dillon Tatum and that continued with another crystal ball from Sam Webb of the Michigan Insider this week.

Yet, Webb wasn’t done making predictions and was the first Michigan recruiting expert to predict four-star receiver Tay’shawn Trent to the Wolverines, which he did Friday.

Trent is a top recruit in the state of Michigan, ranking seventh in the 2022 class in the state as well as 40th among wide receivers. The 6-foot-4, 205-pound pass-catcher has two projections to Michigan State, but the addition of Ronald Bellamy, which has helped with other in-state recruits, seems to have caused a shift here.

The Spartans have made Trent a top priority in 2022, but the Wolverines have a ton of in-state momentum right now and it could continue with guys like Tatum and Trent.