Previously: Last year’s profiles. S Damani Dent, S/Nk Zeke Berry, S/HSP Keon Sabb, CB Myles Pollard, CB/Nk Kody Jones. Grosse Pointe, MI – 6'3”, 190 [David Nasternak] 247: 6'3/190 4.80* 4*, 97, #35 overall #4 CB, #1 MI Rivals: 6'2/182 4.97* 5*, 6.1, #5 overall #1 CB, #1 MI ESPN: 6'1/180 4.82* 4*, 88, #4 MW #4 CB, #1 MI On3: 6'3/190 4.88* 5*, 98, #32 overall #4 CB, #1 MI Composite: 4.93* 5*, 0.9925, #14ovr #3 CB, #1 MI Other Suitors 27, USC YMRMFSPA Marlin Jackson Previously On MGoBlog Hello post by me. Notes Twitter. AA All-American. Film: ABSOLUTELY LUDICROUS SENIOR HIGHLIGHTS WATCH WATCH WATCH: Hudl. TheWolverine's game highlights. 7v7. UA highlights. Coach Hayes (jr season) . There comes a point in every man's dynasty when he's desperate for help at a certain position, doesn't see a fair way out, and is ready to give the create-a-player function a try. You make him some ludicrous size—the maximum height without sacrificing speed. You blast everything up to 99, then scale back just enough to be reasonable. You place him in the major city nearest your home state, and give him the last name of a favorite former player. You save, the game builds the next class, and then there he is. With your rival listed on top. Much more so than Donovan Edwards in the class prior, Will Johnson was the homegrown five-star Michigan *had* to get. Here was this legacy, the son of two Michigan grads, one of whom started opposite Ty Law and helped create Detroit's 7-on-7 program, Max Ex, where Will grew up watching the development of Jourdan Lewis, Lavert Hill, and Ambry Thomas. A kid who grew up in the heart of Southeast Michigan's football community, a kid who knew everyone in every site's Top 250, a kid who by his decision could give the future of Michigan legitimacy, or provide incontrovertible evidence it was history. Oh, and speaking of history, Michigan hadn't recruited an elite athlete at cornerback since Thomas, and the position was a disaster zone. In the darkest days of 2-4 and staff uncertainty, Johnson took a trip to Columbus with fellow jumbo blue chip cornerback Domani Jackson, and dire rumors began to percolate that both had left silent commitments to well-compensated hell. Whether or not it had any bearing on Michigan retaining Harbaugh, plucking state champ Ron Bellamy from the Metro-D coaching ranks, or the subsequent hire of Mo Linguist, then Steve Clinkscale for cornerbacks, fans reacted to every decision on State Street that winter with the same question: How does this affect Will Johnson's recruitment? The ducks were finally aligned, and Johnson's commitment to Michigan came in late February 2021. Other than planning a trip to OSU (soon canceled) when Linguist left, a free visit to LA with Domani, and the big baggers taking an NIL swing at the very end, the next year passed with little drama. Johnson assumed the role that McCarthy had played in the 2021 class, getting Michigan into recruitments they had no business disturbing. Michigan leaned into it, declaring a "Detroit Day" on campus over the summer as part of a program-wide reaffirmation of the link between Ann Arbor and its closest major city. One service may rank one of the other guys higher, but this is Will's class. [After THE JUMP: The ratings]