Michigan has reeled in its big fish.
The Wolverines notched a commitment from five-star 2022 Grosse Pointe (Mich.) South cornerback Will Johnson, who announced his decision on Sunday afternoon.
Johnson picked Michigan over finalists Ohio State and USC. He also held offers from Alabama, Georgia, LSU, Notre Dame, Oklahoma, Penn State, Tennessee, Texas A&M and number of other major programs across the country.
“Michigan is Michigan,” Johnson said. “It’s the home state school. They have great football up there.”
Johnson visited all three of his final schools during the dead period, but the Michigan visit really stood out. While it was the first of the three and came during a weekend where U-M suffered a loss at the hands of Wisconsin, Johnson felt really comfortable with the program.
Johnson had an opportunity to walk the campus, check out the dorms and bond with the 2021 Michigan recruiting class — most members were in Ann Arbor as well.
“I think it was definitely a big visit for me,” Johnson said. “They impressed me a lot. I definitely connected with a lot the commits. It was a big weekend for Michigan. I liked getting to see the dorms, but really it was being able to connect with everybody.”
Michigan underwent some staff changes in the months following Johnson’s visit, bringing in new defensive coordinator Mike Macdonald and co-defensive coordinator Maurice Linguist from the NFL.
Macdonald and Linguist made Johnson feel like a priority right away and pitched him on making an immediate impact in a new defensive scheme.
“They said it’s not going to be a lot of man,” Johnson said. “They are going to have a lot of different coverages and take a more pro minded approach.”
Johnson is the son of former Michigan defensive back Deon Johnson, who played for the Wolverines in the 90s.
Johnson is the sixth commit in Michigan’s 2022 recruiting class and third defensive back, joining four-star prospects Kody Jones and Taylor Groves.
At 6-foot-2, 182 pounds, Johnson is ranked as the No. 4 cornerback and No. 13 overall prospect in the country, per Rivals.com.
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