Will Johnson's family says he's staying
The Will Johnson to Alabama rumors are "ALL CAP," per the family. He is staying at Michigan
February 21st, 2024 at 2:58 PM ^
because i like it, +1
if it was bad news, neg away
February 22nd, 2024 at 8:34 AM ^
My family says a lot of things about me that aren't true.
Then again, Will probably has better family.
February 21st, 2024 at 3:35 PM ^
Will Johnson? Yes, he will. Go Blue.
February 21st, 2024 at 2:59 PM ^
Good news.
I digress. sam this morning said the staff is now complete. Does that include Hart? I don't think he said anything about RB coach.
February 21st, 2024 at 3:58 PM ^
Why would he say it was complete if it was not complete?
February 21st, 2024 at 4:18 PM ^
I think what he meant was is Hart included in that completed staff, or is there a different RB coach that hasn't been announced yet.
February 22nd, 2024 at 11:08 AM ^
From what it sounds like, Hart is dealing with some off the field health or family issue and currently doesn't have a contract. Will have to see how this all shakes out
February 21st, 2024 at 3:00 PM ^
We’re gonna need contracts at some point
February 21st, 2024 at 3:26 PM ^
Yeah, like yesterday...can't have NIL + portal without contracts...
Also, there are going to be a lot more athletes coming out the other end without pro prospects AND without degrees.
February 21st, 2024 at 4:10 PM ^
We need contracts at THIS point.
February 21st, 2024 at 11:50 PM ^
Contracts won't work, because the school couldn't possibly enforce them. If they are student-athletes, then the university can't constrain their academic decision-making (like whether to transfer) and if they are employees, they'll be able to successfully argue that the contract was invalid because the university has no remit to contract with professional football players (running a pro team does not support the educational or research missions of the school and so is not allowed).
"College" football and college no longer can co-exist under the same roof. Maybe once the pro teams are spun off from the universities, college football can restart as a recreational activity for students.
February 22nd, 2024 at 7:15 AM ^
They can coexist, but just in a different way than before. They will be college students having jobs for the university. But the idea that they'll be prevented from transferring, yeah, that's not happening.
February 22nd, 2024 at 9:00 AM ^
If the players are employees, then the university cannot require them to be students - that's restraint of trade. Employers cannot impose job requirements unrelated to the job itself.
The case of grad and research assistants is different because attending school is directly related to their jobs.
February 22nd, 2024 at 10:05 AM ^
So let's go back to the black market where "students" get paid under the table via bags of cash and nobody reports anything to the IRS - because that model was legally viable. Oh wait, it wasn't viable per a 9-0 ruling from the Supreme Court.
So get out of here with your end of the college football world quasi-legal bullshit. If you want to see truly recreational student football, go watch Albion or Adrian or Oakland Community College - there are plenty of teams to follow for people that have a problem with elite athletes getting paid for the labor and NIL rights.
The real issue is how we get to a point where athletes from 134 FBS schools can get to a collective bargaining agreement. My guess is the B1G / SEC Advisory Committee is the first step towards this happening (at least for the future super league).
Right now, college football is literally stronger and bigger than ever with literally billions of dollars of earnings just from media rights - that doesn't even include ticket sales, merchandise and local / regional / national spin-off economic activity, I wouldn't be surprised if college football represented a $10 billion per year economic impact if we were able to count up everything.
It will stay messy for a little while but it will get itself sorted - it always does when there is this much money at stake.
February 23rd, 2024 at 3:41 PM ^
The title “student-athlete” means that it is actually a requirement related to the job itself. It means exactly that.
February 22nd, 2024 at 7:18 AM ^
Idk what you guys are talking about. Every single student has a contract with the university they're enrolled in. Like im pretty sure the first student who ever went to harvard college in the 1600s had a contract with the university. Some students make a ton of money outside the school working for banks/law firms/ or just being famous and doing commercials. Some students like phd students have multiyear contracts where the students are paid directly by the university.
But for some reason we start talking about student-athletes and people make up all these incoherent objections.
February 22nd, 2024 at 9:02 AM ^
Great example of incoherent objections.
February 22nd, 2024 at 10:08 AM ^
90%+ of college football is a recreational activity for students - go watch those games if that is what you are looking for.
Nobody is forcing you to watch FBS football.
February 21st, 2024 at 3:00 PM ^
Isn't EJ Holland the guy who Will Johnson and his family hate?
February 21st, 2024 at 3:14 PM ^
I think it's Jadyn Davis and his family that don't like Holland.
February 21st, 2024 at 4:38 PM ^
Add me to the list
February 21st, 2024 at 4:41 PM ^
EJ’s incessant disdain for Notre Dame’s fan base has become his schtick. Its both appealing and annoying at the same time.
February 21st, 2024 at 6:07 PM ^
To me he just comes off like a smug know it all
February 21st, 2024 at 9:37 PM ^
Drew Sharp is alive?
February 22nd, 2024 at 11:12 AM ^
I hate how he's always like "I was the first one to predict this recruit was going to go to Michigan" when he's right then when he's wrong he's like "Big recruiting loss for Michigan" and that's it
February 21st, 2024 at 3:02 PM ^
He would be the first CB taken in this years draft.
February 21st, 2024 at 3:04 PM ^
While this is certainly much better news than "Will Johnson's family says he's 100% out of here" it still means little to me until February 25th.
Until we're on the other side of the portal date wall I'm going to consider everybody a possible flight risk because every good player can get paid more NIL dollars elsewhere.
February 21st, 2024 at 7:22 PM ^
I don’t automatically believe anything a player, coach, or recruit says. Lying and misdirection are *always* commonplace when large sums of cash are involved.
February 21st, 2024 at 11:27 PM ^
Even after this weekend we can't know that people won't leave after spring ball. I feel pretty good about things, but we can't know for sure for a while.
February 22nd, 2024 at 7:50 AM ^
Very true, BKBlue, particularly when Michigan's war chest is a mere pittance compared to many schools including OSU.
I thought that things might change after Signgate and the the way Petitti treated Michigan. I guess not. Not only are we going back to falling on our sword instead of fighting as has been our history but our Regents are living in another age. In the business world a dysfunctional board of directors can be voted out.
Maybe we should be looking at getting some new and more modern thinking regents elected.
February 22nd, 2024 at 11:18 AM ^
While guys leaving after spring ball is still possible, getting past the initial 30 day portal window after we lost our entire defensive staff is a huge hurdle to overcome
February 22nd, 2024 at 11:16 AM ^
It's funny to me how a week or so back Michigan insiders were hyping up a "high 6 figure" NIL donation as if that would have any impact on us keeping our guys when other teams are throwing millions of dollars at single players. If you're in the hunt for a natty, why wouldn't you throw a few million dollars at Mason Graham?
February 21st, 2024 at 3:05 PM ^
I didn't know there was an Alabama rumor. Where was that?
February 21st, 2024 at 3:15 PM ^
Mostly Bama and osu fans on "X".
February 21st, 2024 at 4:21 PM ^
And probably rcmb and reddit...so in other words, pure bullshit.
February 21st, 2024 at 6:20 PM ^
There was a post on reddit in the Michigan sub yesterday where a guy was concerned about the "Will Johnson to Bama" rumor mill. He was negged to Bolivian pretty quickly.
February 21st, 2024 at 6:45 PM ^
Ohio State is so desperate this year that they are paying our players just to leave our team
February 22nd, 2024 at 10:54 AM ^
Nothing new. Drew Henson says hi!
February 21st, 2024 at 3:38 PM ^
Just the usual concern trolls. He's a Michigan football legacy from GP who's already making good NIL money and set to be a high first-rounder next year.
February 21st, 2024 at 5:52 PM ^
How much money is he making?
February 21st, 2024 at 7:50 PM ^
Why don't you ask him
February 21st, 2024 at 3:50 PM ^
I think it's because he did the 'eyes' emoji on twitter briefly at Domani Jackson & Keon Sabb going to Bama. Bama fans thought that meant Will Johnson was going to Bama. I think it's a lot more likely it's just a guy quote tweeting his two friends because they're going to be playing together now and that's cool rather than it being some subtle transfer announcement by Will
February 21st, 2024 at 4:44 PM ^
The Michigan fan base on X is also connecting the dots that Caleb Downs (yes the osu safety from Bama) about transferring out to UM lol. I’m not believing it but I think it’s the same as this WJ to Bama thing
February 21st, 2024 at 7:12 PM ^
I'm with you. I saw the Kenneth Grant rumors, some Mason Graham noise. But this is the first I heard of Will Johnson bolting. And I am glad that it is debunked. We need that nucleus of strong players on defense to stay to keep the train rolling along in 2024.
February 22nd, 2024 at 12:32 PM ^
Scientists in the 1960s: "If we create a global network of instantaneous computerized communication, human knowledge shall leap to limitless heights!"
Humans in 2024: "Let's go on the Internet and spread lies about anything and everything. Oh, and porn. Lots and lots of porn."
February 21st, 2024 at 3:05 PM ^
Maybe he would go to play with Domani Jackson... and the bigger bag.
If he left, that would be a blow to the team.