Will Johnson leads Michigan Football’s cornerbacks into the 2024 season

With just one week left until Big Ten Media Days in Indianapolis, excitement is building for the 2024 college football season. Fall camps across the country are upon us, and there are now less than 50 days until Michigan football’s season opener against Fresno State on August 31.

After arguably the best season in program history, the Wolverines bring another full roster into 2024 with “Team 145.” In preparation for next year, it’s a good time to break down each of the Wolverines’ position groups with “One thing I like”, “One thing I don’t do” And “One thing to keep an eye on”Next up is a position with a future first-round pick in the NFL Draft and several new faces — Corner

Up-and-coming young talent Will Johnson is the best cornerback in the country, it’s that simple. The former five-star prospect has been nothing short of sensational in his first two seasons in Ann Arbor, and there’s no reason to believe he won’t continue to shine in his third year. In 26 career games (16 starts) at UM, Johnson has totaled 54 tackles, including three for a loss, seven interceptions, one returned for a touchdown and 14 pass breakups. In 2023, Johnson was named a first-team All-American and All-Big Ten selection, in addition to being the National Championship Game’s best defensive player. This will be Johnson’s final year at Michigan, and he’s already had a remarkable career. Next April, the cornerback will hear his name called early in the first round of the 2025 NFL Draft.

Aside from Johnson, this position group is full of question marks. That’s not to say there’s a lack of cornerback talent in Ann Arbor, quite the opposite. It’s just that the talent in the room hasn’t had a chance to prove itself at the Power Four level of college football. Michigan has added transfer cornerbacks Aamir Hall (Albany) and Ricky Johnson (UNLV) last May, both bring college experience from a lower level. Hall was an FCS All-American at Albany, which is encouraging. Johnson, on the other hand, has put up very good numbers in his last 25 games at UNLV: 71 tackles, 14 pass breakups, four interceptions. The big question with guys like Hall and Johnson is whether their experience will hold up against Power Four competition. I’m confident it will, but until we see it, that remains uncertain.

As a bonus, “one thing I don’t like,” the loss of the second-year cornerback DJ Waller to the transfer portal and eventually to Kentucky was also unfortunate. Waller appeared in 11 games for the Wolverines as a freshman last season and showed a lot of potential. He also had an interception in Michigan’s spring game in April before entering the portal. It would have been nice to see Waller continue to develop in Ann Arbor.

Despite the loss of Waller, Michigan has several young defensive backs we are keeping an eye on who could play a role this fall. The top name is redshirt freshman Jyaire Hillswho looks poised for a breakout season and could even push himself into the Wolverines’ starting lineup. The 6’2″, 195-pound player was a big win for Michigan over his home state of Illinois in the 2023 recruiting class, and the Wolverines could reap the rewards as early as this fall. In addition to Hill, another player to keep an eye on is redshirt junior Ja’Den McBurrowswho struggled with injury issues two years ago but made some contributions in the secondary and on the special teams last year.

This article is part of a series that examines each position group on Michigan Football’s 2024 roster. You can find the other position groups that Michigan Wolverines on SI has already been discussed here: (quarterback, Back Race, Offensive line, Close finish, Defence line, Edge striker, Linebackers)

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