The Wolverine: Covering University of Michigan Football and Sports
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10 THE WOLVERINE MARCH 2017 INSIDE MICHIGAN ATHLETICS Jim Harbaugh is making another staff addition that could be strategic for the near future and beyond. Michael Johnson, head coach at The King's Academy in Sunnyvale, Calif., is the new man, according to a tweet by TKA Athletics, which notes: "Head football coach Michael Johnson has resigned and is taking a position on staff at the University of Michigan. Good luck coach! #GoBlue." Whatever staff role he fills, Johnson is expected to bring along the Harbaugh-demanded enthusiasm unknown to mankind to the job. He might eventually bring more — like another Michael Johnson. Michael Johnson Jr., a quarterback recruit for the class of 2019, holds offers from Florida State, Louisville and West Virginia, among others. The elder Johnson was actually Harbaugh's position coach with the San Diego Chargers at the end of Harbaugh's long NFL run, in 2000. Johnson has a strong coaching career in to this point and can certainly help the operation in Ann Arbor, whether as an offensive analyst or in a role to be determined. Johnson's first coaching job was in 1997, as a wide receivers coach at Oregon State. He coached in the NFL from 2000-10, for the Chargers, the Atlanta Falcons and the Baltimore Ra- vens under head coach John Harbaugh, as well as the San Francisco 49ers. A former quarterback at Arizona and Akron in college, John- son was looking for a college position before accepting the position at The King's Academy three years ago. Then, his son was in the eighth grade. A year later, coached by his dad, Michael Jr. threw for 2,248 yards and 25 touchdowns as a freshman in helping his team reach the state playoffs. As a sophomore, Johnson played in nine games, completed 139 of 223 passes for 2,099 yards with 23 touchdowns and seven interceptions, and ran 74 times for 775 yards and 12 scores. 247Sports ranks the 6-3, 175-pound Johnson as the No. 1 dual-threat quarterback and No. 73 overall prospect in the 2019 class. Michigan sophomore center Moritz Wagner has become a starter and taken his game to another level dur- ing the Big Ten season. Through 12 league outings, he was averaging 12.3 points and 4.7 rebounds per game. He talks about his progress and more in this recent interview. The Wolverine: You seem to bring a different level of intensity, always talk- ing and reacting after good plays and bad. How much of that is a conscious effort to get your team going? Moritz Wagner: "That's what bas- ketball players do, stuff like that, but I don't really care about that. I'm not trying to do that type of stuff. I'm try- ing to be focused out there and help my team win. "I've often said that this is not some- thing I really do on purpose. I guess it's something that comes out of me … my nature, I guess. Sometimes I watch film of me out there and say, 'What is he doing?' I feel a little bit ashamed, but I'm just trying to be communica- tive and inspire the others by talking as much as possible." The Wolverine: Beating Michigan State at home by almost 30 points (86-57) … what does that mean for this team after losing consecutive ri- valry games to MSU and Ohio State? Wagner: "It was especially very im- portant for us to get that win for Mr. [Derrick] Walton, who played a heck of a game. It doesn't really matter against who it was; just the fact that we came back after the very disappointing loss [Feb. 4 against OSU]. "It was just huge for us to keep be- lieving in ourselves going forward in the season." The Wolverine: Derrick seems to have taken his game to another level. What have you seen from him lately to indicate this might happen? Wagner: "I'm not really surprised that this happens. That's the Derrick Walton I know. It's just him. He's ag- gressive, shooting the ball well, look- ing for teammates and rebounding like crazy. That's his biggest strength. "He's leading us. Now we've all just got to find a way to join him and what he's doing. That will give us a good shot to get some wins." The Wolverine: Even with the MSU win you've got work to do to make the NCAA Tournament. What's the mental- ity now? Wagner: "We only have 18 Big Ten games. Last year we needed 10 wins to make the tournament, and we have [five] right now. Winning [five out of seven] is a high number, so you could say our back is to the wall is very accurate." The Wolverine: You and [redshirt sophomore forward] D.J. Wilson seem to complement each other well and give an element the team hasn't had in a while with great size. What's the train of thought when you are on the floor together? Wagner: "It's obviously not a real conscious process of thinking like now D.J. is in the game, so now I get rebounds or anything like that. I guess it's just how opponents play us. He does his job. … We feed off each other and have great energy. "We try to guard people and do the best we can. Shot making is one thing. You can make shots and have a good night, but if we don't guard anybody, we're not going to win." — Chris Balas Wagner averaged 12.3 points and 4.7 rebounds per game in Michigan's first 12 Big Ten contests. PHOTO BY PER KJELDSEN Sitting Down With Sophomore Center Moritz Wagner Report: Michigan Hiring Another Former NFL Coach