Will Johnson injury update: Sherrone Moore offers latest on status, timeline for Michigan CB

Michigan cornerback Will Johnson didn’t play in the Wolverines’ 24-17 win over Michigan State on Saturday due to a lower-leg injury he suffered in Week 8 against Illinois. On Monday, Michigan head coach Sherrone Moore provided an update on Johnson’s condition.

“He’ll for sure [play again] this season,” Moore said. “We’ll see how it works out this week and what he can do. So we’ll just let the doctors handle that… Will has no plan of just shutting it down or anything like that.

“If he could go out there, he would go out there in a heartbeat. I know that he’ll be back out there at some point this season, whether it’s this week, next week, whatever it is. And there’s zero doubt in my mind that he’s a competitor that wants to be out there with his teammates.”

Johnson’s presence was missed against Michigan State. Despite escaping with the win, the Wolverines’ defense left much to be desired, allowing the Spartans to connect on 17-of-their-23 pass attempts for 189 yards without throwing an interception.

Johnson boasts 14 tackles, three passes defended and two interceptions this season. ESPN’s Mel Kiper ranked Johnson as the No. 2 prospect in the 2025 NFL draft class in his latest Big Board.

Michigan will need all the help it can get this week as it squares off against No. 1 Oregon at 3:30 p.m. ET. The game will air live on CBS.

Michigan State AD calls for equal treatment from Big Ten

Michigan State Athletics Director Alan Haller met with the media on Monday and discussed the ugly ending of the Spartans game against Michigan this past Saturday. As the final seconds ticked off the clock of Michigan’s 24-17 win, a fight broke out on the field.

There was pushing and shoving near midfield before players were eventually separated. Haller revealed Monday that the Big Ten is looking into the incident.

“I did call the commissioner immediately after the game. I thought the sportsmanship policy should be implied, and I’ve requested that the Big Ten look at this,” Alan Haller said. 

“Look, you know, I played in four of these. And the emotions are high. This game is not like anything that any of our teams play throughout the year, so the emotions are high. I can’t play in this game anymore. But when we play that team, I’m going to make sure that our kids have a fair playing field and we’re held to the same standard as everybody else.”

On3’s Matt Connolly also contributed to this article.