Clint Lamb
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Jim Harbaugh catches a lot of grief. Don’t get me wrong, he has earned every bit of it, but we also have to give him props after his latest big recruiting win.
On Sunday, Michigan landed five-star cornerback Will Johnson out of Grosse Pointe, Michigan. It was a big win for the Wolverines, as Johnson was the No. 1 player on the board. He’s an in-state kid who had offers from Alabama, Ohio State and several other schools.
In other words, this was one Harbaugh and company couldn’t afford to miss. It would’ve looked ever worse considering his father, Deon Johnson, was a former defensive back for the Wolverines in the early 90s.
BREAKING: 5 🌟 CB Will Johnson has just Committed to Michigan!
The Top 12 Player in the Class of 2022 (#1 in Michigan) chose the Wolverines over Ohio State and USC
With the addition of Johnson, Michigan jumps from #17 (85.86) to #10 (112.65) in the Class of 2022 Team Rankings pic.twitter.com/qE3hBlWT33
— Hayes Fawcett (@Hayesfawcett3) February 28, 2021
Johnson is rated as the nation’s No. 11 overall prospect and No. 5 cornerback in the 2022 class, according to the 247Sports Composite Rankings. At 6-foot-3, 190 pounds, he’s got plenty of length and athleticism to be a dominate perimeter cornerback in the Big Ten.
Michigan was ranked No. 90 in the country in pass defense (250.5 yards allowed per game) and checked in at No.12 in the conference for 2020, so Johnson will certainly be a welcome addition.
Follow Clint Lamb on Twitter @ClintRLamb.
Michigan typically has classes ranked in the top 10, which is solid Harbaugh hasn’t given them the edge in recruiting like I thought he would when he first arrived. The difference between them and OSU the last decade has been roster talent. It’s not scheme, it’s not coaching imo, it’s a talent gap. To compete for titles they have to consistently recruit top 5 classes instead of top 10. When you look at the teams in the top 5 each year, they’re consistent winners already. So it takes winning to build recruiting and recruiting to build a winner. It’s hard to break that pattern. Michigan is stuck in limbo and the only way out is exceeding expectations once. It’s not often a blue blood has to overachieve, but that’s what Michigan will have to do to get back on top.
well said, as a Michigan fan, I agree