Fortunately for Michigan, they have significant depth at a position that’s just taken an injury hit.
Listed as the No. 2 running back on the depth chart, Drake Johnson will miss the remainder of the 2013 season due to injury, head coach Brady Hoke confirmed Monday. Johnson suffered a torn ACL covering a second-half kickoff in the season-opening win over Central Michigan.
Prior to the injury, the redshirt freshman rushed twice for nine yards.
“You just hate it for Drake, but he’s as tough as anyone on this football team, and he will make it back from this,” Hoke said in a statement sent out by the school. “He worked so hard through his redshirt season and had a really good camp in backing up Fitz (Toussaint), not to mention he was a really valuable special teams player for us.”
With Johnson’s injury, true freshman Derrick Green has officially slid into the No. 2 spot on the most recent depth chart. Green, a five-star member of UM’s 2013 recruiting class and rated as the top back in the country, led the Wolverines in rushing in the opener with 58 yards in 11 carries. Junior Thomas Rawls and freshman De’Veon Smith could see their roles increased beginning this week against Notre Dame.