1/24/2022 football Edit

Rivals names Will Johnson nation's top CB in final rankings

Brandon Justice • Maize&BlueReview

Senior Editor

Senior Editor covering Michigan athletics at-large for The Maize & Blue Review on the Rivals network. Follow my betting coverage on The Wolverine Den. Trying to be more like Ted Lasso. 25.

It's Rivals Rankings Week all week as the national crew will be rolling out its final rankings for the Class of 2022.

Beginning Monday with the five-star countdown, we will recap each day's news and how it affects Michigan recruiting.

Here's the full schedule for the week:

MONDAY: Five-star countdown | Meet the new five-stars

TUESDAY: Rivals250 released | Adam Gorney's thoughts | Biggest movers | Five toughest questions we faced

WEDNESDAY: Offensive position rankings released | Five schools that should be pleased

THURSDAY: Defensive position rankings released | Three-star with most potential

FRIDAY: State rankings released

Nearing the end of the five-star countdown, Rivals listed Michigan signee Will Johnson as the nation's top cornerback and the fifth-overall prospect in the Class of 2022.

Johnson was demoted in the most recent Rivals rankings, sliding down to No. 26 overall and the fourth-best corner nationally.

Following his impressive showing at the Under Armour All-American Game practices, though, national analyst Adam Gorney & Co. listed Johnson as one of the event's most impressive performers, hinting at a substantial rankings bump.

The Rivals national crew stuck to their word by moving Johnson to the head of the table in the Class of 2022's cornerback room.

One of the biggest surprises of the all-star season was Will Johnson, who has excellent size but does not lack fluidity or the ability to break on passes and trust his vision to make plays. The Michigan signee was the best cornerback at the Under Armour Game against some talented receivers, he was consistently dominant all week and a bump to the top-rated cornerback was warranted.

— Adam Gorney on Will Johnson

Johnson signed with the Wolverines on Dec. 15 during the first National Signing Day.

He originally committed in February of 2021, choosing Michigan over virtually every school in the country, namely Alabama, Ohio State, Oklahoma, and Penn State.

From that point on, Johnson was viewed as the leader of Michigan's 2022 class, running point in communicating with other prospective athletes interested in joining the class. Most notably, he made strong efforts to bring five-star cornerback Domani Jackson to Ann Arbor. Jackon would inevitably decide between Alabama and USC, signing with the Trojans.

Towards the tail end of his recruitment, the Crimson Tide made a late push but came up short.

Strong relationships with safeties coach Ron Bellamy and cornerbacks coach Steve Clinkscale secured his spot in the class.

Johnson, who enrolled at the university in January as an early enrollee, will be a part of the program's spring practices.

Want to read more on Will Johnson?

- Will Johnson tells all on sticking with Michigan

- UA All American Game: Top performers at each position

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