LaMar Morgan: Michigan has 'blue-collar mentality with talented players,' Will Johnson is 'the ultimate teammate that I've ever been around'
New Michigan Wolverines football defensive backs coach and pass game coordinator LaMar Morgan was at Vanderbilt as the cornerbacks coach under then-coordinator Jesse Minter, who led the U-M defense from 2022-23.
Morgan, who was the defensive coordinator at Louisiana, his alma mater, the last two years, watched the Maize and Blue from afar as they won 28 of 29 games and capped off the 2023 season with a national championship.
What stood out was the blend of Michigan’s toughness and skill.
“I saw toughness, blue collar,” Morgan said. “But it’s not just blue collar. A lot of people take blue collar as ‘not talented.’ It’s blue-collar mentality with talented players. That’s the unique thing about Michigan when I’m watching it on tape.”
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Morgan added that what he’s noticed since being on the Michigan staff since late February is that everybody in the program is pulling in the right direction, which he called “unique.”
“You kinda just see it each and every day throughout the building,” the coach explained.
One of the most talented but also tough players on the team is in his position group: junior cornerback Will Johnson, a second-team All-American by the Associated Press last season.
Morgan said he’s been impressed by Johnson’s mindset and the way he carries himself, beyond just the talent he possesses on the field.
“Everybody sees Will Johnson on the field and the way he plays,” the Michigan assistant said. “But really, if you’re at practice, Will Johnson is like a freshman that just got here, an early enrollee, trying to earn his respect from his teammates. Every time somebody makes a big play, if Will’s not on the field, he’s running into the end zone with everybody.
“He cares about his teammates. He’s the ultimate teammate that I’ve ever been around. And really, that’s just his parents. His parents do a great job, his sister [Kayli Johnson] that works with us now [as director of on-campus recruiting], they’re just first-class people.
“The dude just cares about his teammates, he’s very genuine, he always wants to learn. He always wants [his teammates] to push each other. I learn a lot from him.
“You got a new coach coming in here and asking you to change some techniques, he’s open. He’s just a very unique player, man. I think that’s what people don’t realize — the dude truly, truly cares about his teammates, and he works like he’s just trying to earn a spot on the bus every single day.”
Morgan acknowledged that it might be a challenge for some in Johnson’s shoes to embrace a new coach coming in and telling him to make changes to his game. But Johnson approaching it the way he does makes him “unique,” Morgan said.
“I try to give kids a toolbox. I try to give Will a toolbox of different things he can do,” Morgan said of the 6-foot-2, 202-pounder. “There are going to be certain times where he can choose whatever tool. But there are going to be some field zones, some down and distances that he needs to play this way — and he’s open to that.
“Will wants to get coached, he wants to get better, he wants to be challenged. He’s going to ask you every play, ‘What did I do right? What did I do wrong?’ I think that’s what makes him unique.
“He’s been open about it. At first you come in there to an All-American and say you need to change two or three things. And then he thinks about it and is like, ‘Yeah, you know what, I probably could work on that a little bit.’
“He’s always working. He has this illusion of how people think he is. Y’all know ‘cause y’all cover him — he’s very genuine. He’s always thinking, he’s always trying to improve. It’s been a joy to coach him. I’m just trying to get him better and makes sure he continues to get better here and represent the university well.”
