The Michigan football team will once again be without star cornerback Will Johnson this weekend for their matchup against Northwestern. Johnson battled injury trouble for almost all of the 2023 season as he was never really at 100%, but things have been worse this year. Johnson hasn’t played since the Wolverines took on Washington back in early October.
“Michigan is expected to again be without star cornerback Will Johnson when it faces Northwestern Saturday due to a lingering toe injury, sources tell @CBSSports/@247Sports,” Matt Zenitz said in a post. “There’s been no determination made yet on Johnson’s status for next week’s game vs. Ohio State.”
There is some speculation that Will Johnson has been sitting out because he doesn’t want to risk a serious injury. He is going to be one of the first players off the board when the 2025 NFL Draft rolls around in the spring, and he might not want to jeopardize that during a season in which Michigan isn’t playing for much.
Michigan is currently 5-5 overall on the season and it’s been clear for a while that this year’s team doesn’t match up with last year’s national title winning squad. The Wolverines sent more players to the NFL last year than any other school, and they lost a ton of key players. With Johnson sidelined for most of the season, that’s another crucial guy that the Wolverines haven’t had.
The Wolverines are hoping to become bowl eligible this weekend as they are looking for win number six. Michigan is expected to win, but not having Johnson makes things more difficult.
Northwestern is also hoping to keep bowl hopes alive as they are currently 4-6 on the season. A loss would make it impossible to hit the six-win mark.
Michigan and Northwestern will kick off at 3:30 ET from Michigan Stadium in Ann Arbor. The game will be airing on FS1, and Michigan is currently favored by 10.5 points. Will Johnson is out once again, but Michigan fans are hoping that he will come back for one last game next weekend against Ohio State.
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