Michigan Football: 5 freshmen likely to make an impact in 2022

As we are now about a week into fall camp for Michigan football, we re-evaluate the freshmen class and look at five guys who can make an immediate impact. 

Michigan football fans are plenty worried about recruiting in the 2023 class. But things have been picking up and the fact is, in the 2022 class, the Wolverines hit a home run.

The excitement has only grown in recent weeks as we move closer to the start of the 2022 Michigan football season and all the incoming freshmen are now on campus.

There were 13 that enrolled early but a number that didn’t arrive until the fall. One of those was Kenneth Grant, who many believe Jim Harbaugh was talking about when he said the Wolverines had a freshman who was a “gift from the football gods.” 

Harbaugh could have been talking about any number of freshmen and with the 2022 season just a few weeks away, we look at the five who will make the biggest impact.

Will Johnson

In terms of impact freshmen, I still believe that Will Johnson will have the biggest impact of any newcomer. He’s 6-foot-2, 194 pounds, and a superb athlete. He was a five-star prospect and the No. 1 recruit in the state of Michigan for a reason.

Johnson might not start game one but it wouldn’t surprise me if he did. He’s that good and while DJ Turner is outstanding, Johnson is going to be neck-and-neck with him by season’s end in the competition to Michigan’s top corner.

Wearing the No. 2, Johnson has the ability to be the best cornerback Michigan football has had since Charles Woodson. That’s a lot of hype, but it’s not hyperbole. Johnson is legit and he will prove it this season. Early and often.