Defensive Lineman Ron Johnson Enters NCAA Transfer Portal
According to SEC Network analyst Cole Cubelic, Michigan redshirt junior defensive tackle Ron Johnson has entered his name into the NCAA transfer portal.
The decision doesn't necessarily come as a surprise, especially when considering the veteran appeared to be buried on Michigan's defensive line depth chart heading into the 2019 campaign.
U-M lost four of its most key players from its 2018 d-line — defensive ends Rashan Gary and Chase Winovich, and tackles Bryan Mone and Lawrence Marshall — and even brought junior fullback Ben Mason over from the offensive side of the ball to provide depth there.
Despite the lack of experience and proven quality on the unit, Johnson's name was still seldom mentioned by the U-M coaches this spring as a potential contributor next season.
He came to Ann Arbor as a four-star defensive end out of Camden, N.J., in the heralded 2016 class that finished No. 4 in the country, and actually played in his first collegiate game against Hawaii as a freshman in '16.
Johnson redshirted as a sophomore in 2017, however, and then did not see any game action once again as a redshirt sophomore this past season.
The New Jersey native is the sixth Wolverine to depart since the 2018 campaign ended, joining the likes of fifth-year senior defensive end Reuben Jones, redshirt junior quarterback Brandon Peters, redshirt freshman cornerback Myles Sims (Georgia Tech), redshirt sophomore cornerback Benjamin St-Juste (Minnesota) and fifth-year senior offensive tackle Nolan Ulizio (Pittsburgh).
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