Sherrone Moore discusses Will Johnson's status, chances he plays again this season

Trent Knoop | Oct 28, 2024

Junfu Han / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

Star defensive back Will Johnson has played in six of Michigan's eight games this season, but Johnson has been off and on the field with the injury bug. Despite Wolverine fans believing Johnson might've played his final game in Ann Arbor for the maize and blue, head coach Sherrone Moore quickly shot that notion down on Monday.

"Oh, yeah. Will has no plan of just shutting it down or anything like that," Moore said. "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."

It's fair to wonder who makes that call if Johnson is going to play or not. Johnson is arguably the best defensive back in the country and will be a likely top-10 selection in the 2025 NFL Draft. Moore said he isn't making any decision on if Johnson plays or not -- it's coming from the trainers and doctors.

"Trainers, yeah, I’m not making any of those decisions," said Moore. "So trainers and doctors, they say he can go, he can go, and then we go from there."

Michigan could use Johnson this weekend when No. 1 Oregon comes to town. The Ducks, behind Dillon Gabriel, have the 12th-ranked passing offense in college football averaging 300 yards per game. Oregon is quite explosive and Michigan could use every playmaker at its disposal against the Ducks.

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