American football player (born 2003)
William Johnson (born March 29, 2003) is an American football cornerback for the Michigan Wolverines. Johnson was an All-American as a sophomore, leading Michigan’s defense to a national championship in 2023.
Early life and high school career
Johnson was born in 2003 and grew up in Detroit, Michigan.[1] His father, Deon Johnson, was a cornerback for the Michigan Wolverines in the 1990s.[2][3]
Johnson played high school football at Grosse Pointe South High School. As a senior he was an All-State selection, recording 45 tackles, a sack, an interception and 12 pass breakups. On offense he totaled 1,302 all-purpose yards receiving, rushing and returning punts; catching 42 passes for 667 yards with six touchdowns.
Johnson was rated as a five star player and the #1 player in Michigan by 247Sports, ESPN, and Rivals.[1] 247Sports gave Johnson a composite ranking as the #15 ranked high school football player in the country.[4]
On February 28, 2021, Johnson committed to Michigan's 2022 recruiting class.[5][6] He also had offers from Ohio State, USC, Oklahoma and Texas A&M.[7] He was one of the first Michigan recruits to benefit from the new rule allowing players to be compensated for use of their name, image and likeness.[8][9]
College career
Freshman season
He enrolled early at Michigan in January 2022, and participated in winter conditioning.[7][10] He impressed in spring practice, and was described as being position to play early in the fall of 2022.[11][12]
In 2022, Johnson became a starter as a true freshman. In total he appeared in all 14 games, recording 27 tackles and 3 interceptions. Johnson recorded his first career interception versus Rutgers on November 5, 2022, and had a 2 interception performance in the Big Ten Championship Game victory versus Purdue.
Following his first season, Johnson was voted team Defensive Freshman of the year, along with Mason Graham. He was also named to the True Freshman All-America team by 247Sports and Pro Football Focus.[13][14]
Sophomore season
In 2023, Johnson was named to the Jim Thorpe Award watch list.[15] In total Johnson started 12 games for the Wolverines, missing 3 due to injury. Johnson allowed only 17 receptions on 321 coverage snaps, including zero receptions for touchdowns. He finished the 2023 season with the second lowest QB rating when targeted in college football, adding 27 tackles and 4 interceptions.[16]
Johnson scored his first career touchdown on an interception versus Minnesota on October 7.[17] In the victory against Ohio State on November 25, Johnson recorded an interception while defending Marvin Harrison Jr.
His most notorious interception came on a ball thrown by Washington’s Michael Penix, on the first play of the second half in the national championship game. This helped seal a national championship victory for the Wolverines, and earned Johnson the National Championship Defensive MVP Award.[18]
Post-season, Johnson was awarded a consensus First-team All-Big Ten selection, and named a First-team All-American by Sports Illustrated.[19] Johnson was also selected as a Second-team All-American by USA Today.[20]
Junior season
Entering his junior season, Pro Football Focus ranked Will Johnson as the #1 cornerback in college football prior to the 2024 season.[21]
