It’s an idea that gained some traction during the early part of spring ball, and now it’s become a legitimate source of debate among Michigan football fans: Should Will Johnson be utilized offensively?
Understandably, the initial reaction by the vast majority of the fan base is an emphatic ‘NO.’
After all, it wasn’t all that long ago that Michigan fans saw star wideout Ronnie Bell go down in Week 1 of the 2021 season with a torn ACL – an injury that occurred on special teams. Following the injury, fans began to question former head coach Jim Harbaugh’s decision to use Bell as a punt returner, claiming that the wideout was far too important to Michigan’s offense to put him at risk on special teams.
Given how important Will Johnson is to the Michigan defense, it’s no surprise that many fans have the same mindset when it comes to the potential risk of using the star cornerback on the offensive side of the ball. What’s odd, however, is that there’s another glaring example of a similar situation that actually worked extremely well for the Michigan football program – so well that it led to a Heisman Trophy and a National Championship. I’m talking, of course, about the example of Charles Woodson and the 1997 season.
En route to becoming the first (and only) primarily defensive player to win the Heisman Trophy in college football history, Woodson accounted for seven interceptions, 231 receiving yards, 283 punt return yards, and four total touchdowns (2 receiving, 1 rushing, and 1 punt return) during that ’97 season. Woodson’s ability to make an impact in all facets of the game certainly played a major factor in Michigan claiming its 11th National Championship in program history. Johnson is perfectly capable of having that same type of impact for Michigan in 2024.
I’m certainly not the first to draw comparisons between Johnson and Woodson. In fact, Johnson – wearing the famed No. 2 jersey made popular by Woodson – seemed to channel the Michigan football GOAT during the Rose Bowl matchup against Alabama in the CFP Semifinal.
“I always knew getting the number,” Johnson once said of understanding the importance of the No. 2 jersey at Michigan. “To have that in the back of my head, live up to that and every game try to do what I can, no matter what.”
Given all the similarities between the two players, is it possible we’ll see Johnson step further into that Woodson-like role and play a little bit of offense in 2024?
“A little bit, for sure,” Johnson said to reporters at his Detroit-area youth football camp. “There’s a little buzz around the building, so we’ll see how it goes. It’s always a possibility, for sure.”
Although it’s a possibility, Johnson admits that head coach Sherrone Moore isn’t quite as fond of the idea as the rest of the folks in Schembechler Hall.
“Coach Campbell always says something to me about it,” Johnson said. “Coach Moore, he’s a little less fond of it, just because he wants to make sure I’m still out there on defense. All the offensive guys love it, and they want me to. They know what I can do, so hopefully I’m able to do it a little bit.”
While fans haven’t seen it happen yet through his first two years at Michigan, a quick review of his film below provides an idea of what Johnson is capable of as an offensive weapon.
That brings us back to the original question: Should Will Johnson be utilized offensively?
My response is an emphatic ‘YES.’
I get it, nobody wants to see a player get hurt – especially when that player is the linchpin of an elite defensive unit. But instead of worrying about what could go wrong, I can’t help but focus on what could go right. Michigan is certainly not starved for talent on the offensive side of the ball, but elite athletes like Will Johnson don’t come along very often. His presence alone would force a defense to second-guess Michigan’s intentions offensively, and his playmaking abilities could be the thing that takes Michigan’s offense to the next level – a National Championship-level.
Johnson doesn’t need to be on the field for every offensive snap, but sprinkling in some specific packages for No. 2 just feels like its too good of an opportunity to pass up.
