Michigan will be without projected top-10 NFL Draft pick vs. Oregon

Michigan Stadium in Ann Arbor, Friday, April 3, 2020. Photo Credit: Junfu Han via Imagn Content Services, LLC

The Michigan Wolverines already faced an uphill battle in their role as spoiler on Saturday afternoon, but the task of taking down the No. 1-ranked Oregon Ducks has now become even more daunting.

Matt Zenitz of 247 Sports reports that Michigan will be without All-American cornerback Will Johnson, the team’s top player, as he continues to recover from a lower-body injury. ESPN has since confirmed those reports.

Johnson initially suffered the injury during an October 19 loss to Illinois and sat out last week against Michigan State — a 24-17 Wolverines victory.

Earlier this week, Michigan head coach Sherrone Moore insisted Johnson would return this season but stopped short of offering any sort of timeline.

“Oh, yeah. Will has no plan of just shutting it down or anything like that,” Moore said, via Sports Illustrated. “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.”

The 21-year-old Johnson, who was named First-Team All-American in 2023, is widely viewed as the county’s best cornerback and is projected to be a top-10 pick in the 2025 NFL Draft.

In six games this season, Johnson has recorded 14 tackles (12 solo, one for a loss), three passes defensed, two interceptions, and two defensive touchdowns.

Johnson also previously missed a Week 5 game against the Minnesota Golden Gophers due to a shoulder injury that was suffered during an upset victory over USC.