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Michigan will be missing one of its top defensive players during a matchup with No. 1 Oregon on Saturday.
Standout cornerback Will Johnson will miss his second straight game for the Wolverines due to a lower-body injury, according to ESPN’s Pete Thamel.
Johnson suffered the injury in the first half of Michigan’s 21-7 loss to Illinois on Oct. 19. His timeline to get back on the field is uncertain, per Thamel.
Wolverines head coach Sherrone Moore was noncommittal regarding a return date for Johnson, but he still expected him to come back before the end of the season.
“He’ll for sure [play again] this season,” Moore said on Monday, via Grant Grubbs of On3.com. “We’ll see how it works out this week and what he can do. So we’ll just let the doctors handle that… Will has no plan of just shutting it down or anything like that.”
After playing a key role during Michigan’s undefeated 2023 campaign that resulted in a national title, Johnson was off to another strong start in 2024. He recorded 14 tackles and three passes defensed in six games, picking off two throws.
Both of his interceptions were returned for touchdowns.
He was also ranked as the No. 5 overall player in the 2025 NFL draft class on the latest big board from Bleacher Report’s NFL Scouting Department. B/R NFL Scout Cory Giddings was impressed with Johnson’s ability to remain effective in coverage despite his larger frame relative to most cornerbacks.
“Will Johnson projects as one of the top cornerbacks in this year’s draft, with the potential to be an impact player early in his NFL career,” Giddings wrote in his scouting report. “His combination of size, length, physicality and versatility in coverage make him a valuable asset for any defensive scheme.”
Without Johnson, the rest of the Wolverines’ secondary will need to step up against a Ducks team that owns the second-best passing offense in the Big Ten to go along with a perfect 8-0 record.
Kickoff on Saturday is at 3:30 p.m. ET.
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