Michigan Football: Will Johnson isn’t wavering on commitment yet

After the departure of cornerbacks coach Maurice Linguist, Michigan football fans have reason to worry about Will Johnson, but the five-star recruit isn’t wavering. 

When the news broke about Michigan football losing assistant coach Maurice Linguist to Buffalo, where he is becoming the head coach, the first thought was about Will Johnson, the five-star cornerback who committed to U-M soon after Linguist was hired.

Sure, there are other commitments and ramifications to worry about. But Johnson is the most important domino. He’s the critical piece of the 2022 recruiting class and as long as the Wolverines have him, they at least have that cornerstone.

And so far, it appears that Johnson’s commitment to Michigan football is still strong. Here’s what Sam Webb of the Michigan Insider posted on Twitter.

Since his commitment, Johnson has been working on recruiting others to join Michigan’s 2022 class, including fellow five-star cornerback Domani Jackson.

But his recruiting has gone beyond that. Kody Jones is another four-star corner committed and his decision was based more on Linguist than Johnson. Jones still seems solid too and Johnson will certainly work on keeping him committed.

Yet, if the Wolverines are going to keep both Johnson and Jones in the fold, the next hire at cornerbacks coach and co-defensive coordinator will be critical. Steve Clinkscale of Kentucky appears to be the top target, which would check all the boxes.

But wanting Clink and getting him on staff are two different things.

Michigan football misses on transfer

While Johnson saying positive things about his commitment is good news, there was some disappointing news on Saturday night as the Wolverines missed out on another transfer defensive tackle in Tony Fair of UAB.

Fair, who is 6-foot-3, 300 pounds, entered the transfer portal earlier this week and Michigan football extended an offer soon after.

But on Saturday, Fair, who is considered to be an Auburn lean, trimmed his list to the Tigers, Purdue, and Ole Miss.

The need for a 300-pound defensive tackle or two is obvious. However, the Wolverines just haven’t been able to hit on any in the portal.

Admissions could be playing a role in that. It’s harder for kids to transfer to Michigan than to other places due to academics. But either way, the Wolverines have to find some defensive talent in the portal before next season and time is running out.