Michigan football adds another transfer to fority the secondary

Michigan football was determined to reinforce the secondary this spring in the transfer portal window. It might not have been easy, but in the end, the Wolverines achieved their objective.

There were some bumps along the road, especially losing Terrance Brooks to Illinois. But Michigan football did what it needed to do on the NIL front in order to land Wesley Walker, and on Saturday, they essentially flipped Ricky Johnson from Washington State.

The four-year player for UNLV entered the transfer portal and committed to the Cougars. However, Johnson took a visit to Michigan football on Friday and that’s all she wrote.

It would be hard to blame anyone for wanting to play for the Wolverines. They are the defending national champions and are expected to have one of the best defenses in college football.

Now, after answering some questions about depth in the secondary, the defense looks even more formidable. Johnson is a 6-foot-1, 170-pound cornerback who has played in 27 career games. He’s got four interceptions and seven pass breakups.

Johnson still has two years left to play too. He only played in three games in 2022, plus he has the COVID year. So, just like Mangham, he can play beyond next season.

Breaking down where Ricky Johnson fits for Michigan football

Johnson is another depth guy. He could work his way into the starting mix, but I still have a hard time seeing anyone, even Aamir Hall, unseat Jyaire Hill. But you need depth. Will Johnson missed some time last season and it’s just part of life.

No team is going to make it through a season using just 3-4 preferred corners. It would be nice, but that’s not football. Almost every dude on the two-deep will have to contribute at some point. That’s why you want that depth chart to be as deep and talented as possible.

That’s what most of these moves have been about. I’m sure one or two of the four players added over the last two days will start. But they will all play critical snaps.

And like I said following the Mangham commitment, these moves give Michigan the proper depth it needs at cornerback, safety, and nickel — a position I think Wesley Walker can play. The Wolverines didn’t have that before, really at any of the three spots.

Now, the depth is solid all-around, and Lamar Morgan, the new secondary coach, should have more than enough to work with going into the 2024 season.

Thank you for reading Blue by Ninety. For more Michigan Athletics and Big Ten content from Blue by Ninety, follow us on Twitter, Facebook, and Instagram. You can also subscribe to our YouTube Channel. Also, be sure to check out our shop and our podcast, which is available on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, and all other streaming platforms.