4 Michigan football injuries to watch for this weekend

This weekend, the Wolverines are slated to take on Bowling Green at home for the final game of the 2023 non-conference slate. Additionally, Saturday will be the final game of Jim Harbaugh’s three-game self-imposed suspension from the University of Michigan — Harbaugh will return next weekend to kick off Big Ten play against Rutgers. Here are four Michigan football injuries to watch against BGSU — Will Johnson, Jack Tuttle, Makari Paige, and Rod Moore — who could hurt the Wolverines’ chances, or mark a few major returnees to the lineup.

4 Michigan football injuries to watch against Bowling Green this weekend

Will Johnson — cornerback

There are a few notable Wolverines missing from the lineup right now, though perhaps no one is more notable than cornerback Will Johnson, a true sophomore superstar. Last year, Johnson stood out as one of the nation’s top freshmen — while he has not seen the field for the Wolverines this year due to injury, Johnson could be poised for a return.

According to reports from Ann Arbor, Will Johnson is practicing again and should be ready to go; now, the question is whether or not the staff wants to save him for the Big Ten opener next weekend or not.

Makari Paige and Rod Moore — safeties

Alongside Will Johnson are a few other notable defensive backs; namely, Rod Moore and Makari Paige. Seeing as the Wolverines are facing a very experienced quarterback this weekend — who has seen starting reps in the Big Ten and SEC over the past four seasons — the defensive backfield needs to be on its A-game against Bowling Green.

With the team’s top two safeties still banged up, Makari Paige and Rod Moore are both players to watch this weekend. As of Tuesday, it sounds like Paige is getting closer to 100%, while Moore continues to work through some things this month.

Jack Tuttle — quarterback

Finally, backup quarterback Jack Tuttle is said to be doing alright; in fact, Jim Harbaugh says that he believes the transfer quarterback “dodged a bullet” after coming out of last weekend’s game. It sounds like this weekend is going to belong to sophomores Jayden Denegal and Alex Orji if JJ McCarthy comes out; however, seeing as Tuttle only got one snap last weekend, keep an eye on No. 13 as he continues to battle it out for the QB2 role.

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