Michigan Wolverines star cornerback Will Johnson’s status for the Oregon Ducks matchup has been up in the air for the past couple of weeks, but all signs now point to him not playing on Saturday, Nov. 2, according to Matt Zenitz of CBS and 247 Sports. This will be his third consecutive
Big Ten Conference game on the sidelines for the Wolverines.

Johnson left Michigan’s 27-24 win against USC on Sept. 21 with a shoulder injury and sat out the following week against Minnesota. He also underwent knee surgery in the offseason before the 2023 season, which forced him to miss the Wolverines’ first three games.

Johnson suffered a more recent foot injury during the first half of the 21-17 road loss at Illinois on Oct. 19 this season. Oregon’s coach Dan Lanning realizes how much of an impact this loss has for the Michigan defense.

“He’s a great player. He has ball production. He gets in and out of breaks. He’s able to take away a side of the field. So he’s definitely a guy that would make an impact.”

– Oregon coach Dan Lanning

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Johnson’s put together 14 total tackles, three pass deflections and two interceptions on the defensive end during his junior season. He has also returned two punt returns for touchdowns in five games played for the Wolverines.

During Michigan’s College Football Playoff title run last season, Johnson finished with 27 tackles, four pass deflections, four interceptions as well as one punt return to the house in his sophomore campaign.

“Will has no plan of just shutting it down or anything like that. Will, if he could go out there, he would go out there in a heartbeat. And, I know that he’ll be back out there at some point this season, whether it’s this week, next week, or whatever it is. And there’s zero doubt in my mind that he, the competitor that wants to be out there with his teammates, so I know he’ll be back.”

– Michigan coach Sherrone Moore

When healthy, Johnson has been impactful throughout his entire career for the Wolverines. He’s considered one of the top prospects in the 2025 NFL draft due to his natural ball skills and playmaking instincts in the secondary.

Michigan will have a tough time against Heisman-hopeful quarterback Dillon Gabriel and the Oregon passing attack without Johnson. His versatility in both man and zone coverage schemes would make a difference for the Wolverines (5-3, 3-2) against the No. 1 Ducks (8-0, 5-0) who will kick-off at the “Big House” at 12:30 p.m. PT on Saturday, Nov. 2.

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