Will Johnson (cornerback)

William Johnson (born March 29, 2003) is an American football cornerback for the Michigan Wolverines. He was an All-American in 2023, winning the national championship and earning the defensive MVP award.

Early life
Johnson was born in 2003 and grew up in Detroit, Michigan. His father, Deon Johnson, was a cornerback for the Michigan Wolverines in the 1990s.

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. 247Sports gave Johnson a composite ranking as the #15 ranked high school football player in the country.

On February 28, 2021, Johnson committed to the University of Michigan’s 2022 recruiting class. He also had offers from Ohio State, USC, Oklahoma and Texas A&M. 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.

Freshman season (2022)


Johnson enrolled early at the University of Michigan in January 2022, and participated in winter conditioning. He impressed in spring practice and was described as being in position to play early in the fall of 2022.

In 2022, Johnson became a starter as a true freshman. In total, he appeared in all 14 games, recording 27 tackles and three interceptions. Johnson recorded his first career interception versus Rutgers on November 5, and had a two 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.

Sophomore season (2023)
In 2023, Johnson was named to the Jim Thorpe Award watch list. In total, Johnson started 12 games for the Wolverines, missing three 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 four interceptions.

Johnson scored his first career touchdown on an interception versus Minnesota on October 7. 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 Jr. on the first play of the second half in the national championship game. This helped seal a national title for the Wolverines, and earned Johnson the National Championship Defensive MVP Award.



Post season, Johnson was awarded a consensus first-team All-Big Ten selection and named a first-team All-American by Sports Illustrated. He was also selected as a second-team All-American by USA Today.

Junior season (2024)
Entering his junior season, Will Johnson was ranked as the best cornerback in college football prior to the 2024 season. He is considered to be an early first round pick in the 2025 NFL draft. Johnson may play on offense as a two-way player in 2024, playing wide receiver in high school.