Notre Dame offensive coordinator candidate: Brian Johnson

Notre Dame has a vacancy at offensive coordinator after Tommy Rees took the same position on Nick Saban’s Alabama staff in early February.  Where will Marcus Freeman and Notre Dame turn for their new offensive coordinator?

Here at Fighting Irish Wire we’ll be giving you a bio and summary of the career of some of the names that emerge as candidates.  We’re also making an effort for some guest contributors who have either followed or covered each potential candidate’s coaching careers.

In the third edition we will take a look at Brian Johnson, the current quarterbacks coach of the Philadelphia Eagles. According to Football Scoop, Notre Dame has vetted the interest of the up-and-coming offensive mind.  Could he be the next offensive coordinator of the Fighting Irish?

Here is what you need to know about Brian Johnson.

No, not that Brian Johnson

(Photo by VALERIE MACON/AFP via Getty Images)

This Brian Johnson was never the lead singer of AC/DC but he does speak truth to it being a long way to the top if one wants to rock n’ roll.

Current Role:

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The 35-year old Johnson is currently the quarterbacks coach of the Philadelphia Eagles, serving his second season in the role.  Jalen Hurts became in MVP candidate this regular season as the Eagles are now preparing for the Super Bowl.  Hurts was no slouch in Johnson’s first year either, becoming just the eighth player in NFL history to throw for more than 3,000 yards and rush for more than 750 yards in a single season.

Texas Forever

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Like so many great college quarterbacks, Johnson grew up in Texas.  He played at Robert E. Lee High School where he started as a senior after Drew Tate graduated and went on to play at Iowa.  Johnson had very few offers from FBS programs coming out of college.  According to his Rivals recruiting page, only Illinois, Louisiana Tech, and Utah originally offered him a football scholarship.

Utah Utes Star Quarterback

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Despite having Alex Smith ahead of him his freshman year, Johnson still saw the field in 10 games as a freshman at Utah.  He took over as the team’s starter as a sophomore before red-shirting in 2006 due to injury.

A shoulder injury in 2007 cost him two games but he was still the Poinsettia Bowl MVP as he helped Utah to a win over Navy to conclude the season.  2008 saw Johnson lead Utah to shock the world by going 13-0 and stunning 12-1 Alabama in the Sugar Bowl.

Professional Football as a Player

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After college, Johnson went undrafted but was invited to camp with the Green Bay Packers.  He was cut by them and joined the New York Sentinels of the UFL for a month from August to September of 2009 before calling it a career as a player.

Immediate Jump Into Coaching

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Johnson’s professional career began an ended quickly in 2009 but by 2010 he was already a hired assistant at Utah.  He served 2010 and 2011 as the Utes quarterback coach under Kyle Wittingham before being promoted to serve as offensive coordinator for the 2012 and 2013 seasons.

Reunited at Mississippi State

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Utah was one of the few colleges to offer Johnson a scholarship out of high school and did so because of Urban Meyer assistant Dan Mullen.  Mullen was hired as Mississippi State’s head coach in 2014 and hired Johnson to coach his quarterbacks and eventually his offense.  Johnson coached the quarterbacks for three seasons in Starkville, helping the Bulldogs to a No. 1 ranking with Dak Prescott as their starting quarterback two weeks into November that season.

Back to Offensive Coordinator Role

2017 – Houston Cougars head coach Major Applewhite — Troy Taormina-USA TODAY Sports

After three seasons at Mississippi State, Johnson retook an offensive coordinator role as he signed on with Houston.  There he worked with head coach Major Applewhite and helped quarterback D’Eriq King take a major step.  King not only threw for 1,260 yards on just 139 attempts (9.1 ypa) but also rushing for 379 yards and hauling in receptions for another 264.

Reunited with Mullen again at Florida

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Johnson spent two years as the quarterback coach at Florida before being promoted to offensive coordinator in 2020.  In 12 regular season games that season, Florida never scored fewer than 31 points and put up 46 in the toughest test an all-time Alabama team faced all year in the SEC Championship game.

Eagles QB Coach

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As I type this, Johnson is probably helping put the finishing touches on things as the Eagles prep for Super Bowl LVII.  The development of Jalen Hurts the last two seasons has been undeniable.  Hurts went from being a risky draft pick to a legitimate MVP candidate and Super Bowl starting quarterback (which means something as long as you’re not Rex Grossman). The last two seasons as the job Johnson has done has turned him into a highly coveted assistant coach both in the NFL and in college.

The Verdict on Johnson

If I were making a list of dream candidates for the Notre Dame offensive coordinator position then Johnson would probably be at the very top of it.  His ability to develop dual threat quarterbacks in college and the NFL is elite.  It started with learning under Urban Meyer and Alex Smith at Utah, turned into his Utah starting quarterback tenure, and continued.  Dak Prescott at Mississippi State, D’Eriq King at Houston, and Jalen Hurts are just a few of those.

Johnson is clearly ready to call an offense again but I’d be shocked if it happens at the collegiate level anytime soon.  According to Football Scoop, plenty of NFL teams want him for a coordinator role and his current team could have an opening at that position this off-season.

As great as it’d be to happen, I’d be more surprised if Johnson took a college coordinator job than if he went the Andy Reid route and went from quarterbacks coach to NFL head coach without calling plays for an NFL offense first.

Story originally appeared on Fighting Irish Wire