“I don’t know if anything is ever foolproof when you’re doing an appeal, but he’s had two lost opportunities to play,” said Harbaugh. “Two years where he hasn’t been able to play due to injury. So I think that’s a no-brainer, but we shall see, as they say.”
Playing for Ann Arbor Pioneer in high school, Johnson sat out for non-medical reasons as a true freshman. However, he has since missed out on two seasons because of injuries, which would likely allow each of them to count as the redshirt years on the medical hardship waiver.
Johnson saw action in the season opener against Central Michigan in 2013, but tore his ACL early in the contest while playing on special teams, missing the remainder of the fall.