Will Johnson, Defensive MVP of national championship, says defense was motivated to prove critics wrong
Will Johnson and the Michigan defense had plenty of bulletin board material this season.
Johnson said that the defense was extra motivated by people doubting them all season long. Regardless of who they beat, it never felt like they earned respect. Johnson and the defense definitely showed how good they are when they held Washington to 13 points.
“All we heard every game was we gotta stop these people, we gotta stop them,” Johnson said in an interview with Big Ten Network. “We never got respect, so we went out there and had to prove it every time.”
𝟐𝟎𝟐𝟒 𝐂𝐅𝐏 𝐂𝐡𝐚𝐦𝐩𝐢𝐨𝐧𝐬𝐡𝐢𝐩 𝐆𝐚𝐦𝐞 𝐃𝐞𝐟𝐞𝐧𝐬𝐢𝐯𝐞 𝐌𝐕𝐏 🤩
Will Johnson and No. 1 Michigan went out there and proved it again.@Willj1228 x @UMichFootball pic.twitter.com/QE2N2VbSkX
— Big Ten Football (@B1Gfootball) January 9, 2024
Johnson couldn’t thank Jim Harbaugh enough for the trust in the team to succeed during the 6 games the Michigan coach was suspended. The Michigan defensive back was very appreciative of the moment.
“It just shows the culture he instilled in us and how much faith he had in us just to go out there and perform without him here,” said Johnson. “This is for him, and all the guys that they did wrong on our team this year and we’re just grateful for this moment.”
The 2024 College Football Playoff Championship Game Defensive MVP finished his night with 4 total tackles and big interception off of Michael Penix Jr. that was just few plays into the 2nd half. The defense definitely showed up for Michigan.