Tucker Names Jay Johnson Offensive Coordinator and Quarterbacks Coach
2/20/2020 1:14:00 PM | Football
EAST LANSING, Mich. – Michigan State head football coach Mel Tucker has announced that Jay Johnson will join the Spartan offensive staff as the offensive coordinator and quarterbacks coach.
Johnson, 50, is a veteran coach and administrator of 25 seasons, including 10 as an offensive coordinator at four FBS schools (Colorado, Minnesota, Louisiana, Southern Mississippi) in addition to coaching quarterbacks, running backs and tight ends as a position coach. Johnson arrives to East Lansing after serving as the offensive coordinator at Colorado for one season under Tucker.
"Jay is an experienced play caller and an expert quarterbacks coach," said Tucker. "He has a very innovative offensive mind. I was with Jay when he was at Georgia and really got to know him well there. He's had success in the Big Ten before, calling plays at Minnesota. He runs a multiple offense with an emphasis on physicality, and he's an aggressive play caller."
Earlier this week, Chris Kapilovic joined Tucker's staff as the offensive line coach and run game coordinator and Courtney Hawkins was named the wide receivers coach. Tucker previously announced that Mike Tressel and Ron Burton will be back on the defensive staff for the Spartans.
Last season, Johnson's offense helped feature wide receiver Laviska Shenault, who earned second-team All-Pac 12 honors after leading Colorado with 56 catches for 764 yards and five TDs. The multi-dimensional Shenault, who ranks eighth in CU history with 149 receptions, declared for the 2020 NFL Draft and is viewed as a potential first-round selection.
Johnson spent two seasons as an offensive analyst at Georgia (2017-18) and was instrumental to the Bulldogs' success, as he assisted in all off-field phases of game planning and recruiting on Kirby Smart's staff. During Johnson's time at UGA, the Bulldogs posted a 24-4 record, including the 2017 SEC Championship and an appearance in the College Football Playoff. The Bulldogs ranked third in the SEC and No. 20 in the FBS in scoring offense (35.4 ppg) during the run to the CFP National Championship game, and also featured the SEC's top-ranked rushing offense (258.4 ypg), which was No. 9 in the nation. In 2018, Georgia again had the SEC's No. 1 rushing offense (238.8 ypg) and ranked No. 2 in the SEC and No. 14 in the FBS in scoring offense (37.9 ppg) while ranking No. 18 in the country in total offense (464.9 ypg).
Johnson has previous coaching experience in the Big Ten at Minnesota, where he was the offensive coordinator and quarterbacks coach for the Gophers in 2016 under head coach Tracy Claeys. Minnesota's offense averaged nearly 30 points a game (29.3 ppg), the fourth-highest scoring average in the Big Ten, en route to a 9-4 record that included a win over Washington State in the Holiday Bowl.
As Louisiana's (former UL-Lafayette) offensive coordinator and quarterbacks coach for five seasons (2011-15), the Ragin' Cajuns consistently ranked near the top of the Sun Belt offensive leaders as the program posted four consecutive winning seasons and four straight wins in the New Orleans Bowl. Louisiana was especially potent in the red zone, ranking among the FBS Top 10 in offensive red zone efficiency three times under Johnson (No. 5 in 2011; No. 2 in 2012; No. 10 in 2014). He coached quarterbacks Blaine Gautier and Terrance Broadway to top 20 finishes in passing efficiency and was part of 40 victories overall.
In one season as Central Michigan's quarterbacks coach in 2010, Johnson tutored Ryan Radcliff, who led the Mid-American Conference and ranked No. 12 in the FBS in passing, averaging 279.8 yards per game. Overall, CMU ranked No. 17 in the FBS in passing (284.0 ypg).
Johnson was one of the first in the nation to work in quality control in the collegiate ranks, joining Louisville's offensive staff in 2008. He returned to the field in 2009 as the Cardinals' tight ends coach, also assisting in all facets of special teams.
Johnson was a three-time All-Gateway Conference performer at quarterback for Northern Iowa, leading the Panthers to a 31-8 record, three conference titles and three Division I-AA playoff appearances (3-3 record) his sophomore through senior seasons (1990-92). Playing for Coach Terry Allen, Johnson set numerous school records at the time in completing 504-of-970 passes for 8,341 yards, with 60 touchdowns against 35 interceptions (a 137.4 NCAA rating). He still ranks among the all-time leaders in Panther history in passing yards (fourth with 8,341), passing TDs (fourth with 60) and pass completions (fifth with 504). UNI was 12-2 his senior year, reached the I-AA semifinals and was ranked No. 3 in the final coaches poll of the season. A captain for the Panthers as both a junior and senior, Johnson's teammate was future Pro Football Hall of Fame quarterback Kurt Warner, who took over for him for the 1993 season.
After his collegiate playing days, he moved to Columbia, Missouri, to attend graduate school at Missouri and simultaneously began his coaching career in 1993 as an assistant coach at the city's largest high school, Hickman. The following spring, he was a graduate assistant for the Tigers while finishing his degree.
His first full-time position soon followed, as he was the offensive and recruiting coordinator at Division III Augsburg (Minn.) College in the fall of 1994. He would spend the next two seasons (1995-96) back in the state of Missouri as the offensive coordinator at Truman State, where the Bulldogs were prolific on offense, averaging over 400 yards and 30 points on offense during his two years in Kirksville.
He became a graduate assistant at Kansas for the 1997 and 1998 seasons, where he was reunited with his college head coach at UNI, Terry Allen; he had the responsibility of developing the quarterbacks and helping KU in the area of breakdowns and analysis. Allen promoted him to a full-time coach in charge of the quarterbacks in 1999, and in 2001 switched him to running backs coach, with Johnson also working heavily with the special teams all three seasons in Lawrence.
After taking a year off from coaching in 2002, he was named tight ends coach and recruiting coordinator at Southern Mississippi under its longtime head coach, Jeff Bower for the 2003 season. Johnson then coached the running backs in 2004, and in 2005, he took the reins as offensive coordinator for the next three seasons, the final three years of Bower's 18-year run as the Golden Eagles head coach. In his final season there, USM established a school record for total offense, eclipsing the 5,000-yard mark for the first time in finishing with 5,066 yards.
Johnson graduated from Northern Iowa in 1992 with a bachelor's degree in science (minor in coaching), earning his way on the Dean's List. While at Missouri, he received his master's in exercise sciences with an emphasis in exercise physiology, earning the Superior Graduate Achievement Award with a perfect 4.0 cumulative grade point average.
Born Sept. 18, 1969, in Austin, Minnesota, Johnson graduated from Lakeville (Minn.) High School, where he lettered in football, basketball and baseball. He and his wife, Lori, have a son, Cole.
THE JAY JOHNSON FILE
AT A QUICK GLANCE: Johnson has coached and/or worked as a quality control specialist in 251 FBS games as a full-timer (141-110 record).
POSTSEASON COACHING EXPERIENCE: 12 bowl games (2003 Liberty, 2004 New Orleans, 2005 New Orleans, 2006 GMAC, 2007 PapaJohns.com, 2011 New Orleans, 2012 New Orleans, 2013 New Orleans, 2014 New Orleans, 2016 Holiday, 2017 Rose/CFP Semifinal, 2017 CFP Championship).
PREVIOUS COACHING EXPERIENCE:
Assistant coach at Hickman High School (Columbia, Mo.) (1993)
Graduate assistant on offense at Missouri (spring only, 1994)
Offensive coordinator/recruiting coordinator at Augsburg (Minn.) College (1994)
Offensive coordinator at Truman State (1995-96)
Graduate assistant on offense at Kansas (1997-98)
Quarterbacks coach at Kansas (1999-2000)
Running backs coach at Kansas (2001)
Running backs coach at Southern Mississippi (2003)
Tight ends coach at Southern Mississippi (2004)
Offensive coordinator/quarterbacks coach at Southern Mississippi (2005-07)
Quality control/offense at Louisville (2008)
Tight ends coach at Louisville (2009)
Quarterbacks coach at Central Michigan (2010)
Offensive coordinator/quarterbacks coach at Louisiana (2011-15)
Offensive coordinator/quarterbacks coach at Minnesota (2016)
Quality control/offense at Georgia (2017-18)
Offensive coordinator/quarterbacks coach at Colorado (2019)
PLAYING EXPERIENCE: Four-year letterwinner as a quarterback at Northern Iowa (1989-92).
Johnson, 50, is a veteran coach and administrator of 25 seasons, including 10 as an offensive coordinator at four FBS schools (Colorado, Minnesota, Louisiana, Southern Mississippi) in addition to coaching quarterbacks, running backs and tight ends as a position coach. Johnson arrives to East Lansing after serving as the offensive coordinator at Colorado for one season under Tucker.
"Jay is an experienced play caller and an expert quarterbacks coach," said Tucker. "He has a very innovative offensive mind. I was with Jay when he was at Georgia and really got to know him well there. He's had success in the Big Ten before, calling plays at Minnesota. He runs a multiple offense with an emphasis on physicality, and he's an aggressive play caller."
Earlier this week, Chris Kapilovic joined Tucker's staff as the offensive line coach and run game coordinator and Courtney Hawkins was named the wide receivers coach. Tucker previously announced that Mike Tressel and Ron Burton will be back on the defensive staff for the Spartans.
Last season, Johnson's offense helped feature wide receiver Laviska Shenault, who earned second-team All-Pac 12 honors after leading Colorado with 56 catches for 764 yards and five TDs. The multi-dimensional Shenault, who ranks eighth in CU history with 149 receptions, declared for the 2020 NFL Draft and is viewed as a potential first-round selection.
Johnson spent two seasons as an offensive analyst at Georgia (2017-18) and was instrumental to the Bulldogs' success, as he assisted in all off-field phases of game planning and recruiting on Kirby Smart's staff. During Johnson's time at UGA, the Bulldogs posted a 24-4 record, including the 2017 SEC Championship and an appearance in the College Football Playoff. The Bulldogs ranked third in the SEC and No. 20 in the FBS in scoring offense (35.4 ppg) during the run to the CFP National Championship game, and also featured the SEC's top-ranked rushing offense (258.4 ypg), which was No. 9 in the nation. In 2018, Georgia again had the SEC's No. 1 rushing offense (238.8 ypg) and ranked No. 2 in the SEC and No. 14 in the FBS in scoring offense (37.9 ppg) while ranking No. 18 in the country in total offense (464.9 ypg).
Johnson has previous coaching experience in the Big Ten at Minnesota, where he was the offensive coordinator and quarterbacks coach for the Gophers in 2016 under head coach Tracy Claeys. Minnesota's offense averaged nearly 30 points a game (29.3 ppg), the fourth-highest scoring average in the Big Ten, en route to a 9-4 record that included a win over Washington State in the Holiday Bowl.
As Louisiana's (former UL-Lafayette) offensive coordinator and quarterbacks coach for five seasons (2011-15), the Ragin' Cajuns consistently ranked near the top of the Sun Belt offensive leaders as the program posted four consecutive winning seasons and four straight wins in the New Orleans Bowl. Louisiana was especially potent in the red zone, ranking among the FBS Top 10 in offensive red zone efficiency three times under Johnson (No. 5 in 2011; No. 2 in 2012; No. 10 in 2014). He coached quarterbacks Blaine Gautier and Terrance Broadway to top 20 finishes in passing efficiency and was part of 40 victories overall.
In one season as Central Michigan's quarterbacks coach in 2010, Johnson tutored Ryan Radcliff, who led the Mid-American Conference and ranked No. 12 in the FBS in passing, averaging 279.8 yards per game. Overall, CMU ranked No. 17 in the FBS in passing (284.0 ypg).
Johnson was one of the first in the nation to work in quality control in the collegiate ranks, joining Louisville's offensive staff in 2008. He returned to the field in 2009 as the Cardinals' tight ends coach, also assisting in all facets of special teams.
Johnson was a three-time All-Gateway Conference performer at quarterback for Northern Iowa, leading the Panthers to a 31-8 record, three conference titles and three Division I-AA playoff appearances (3-3 record) his sophomore through senior seasons (1990-92). Playing for Coach Terry Allen, Johnson set numerous school records at the time in completing 504-of-970 passes for 8,341 yards, with 60 touchdowns against 35 interceptions (a 137.4 NCAA rating). He still ranks among the all-time leaders in Panther history in passing yards (fourth with 8,341), passing TDs (fourth with 60) and pass completions (fifth with 504). UNI was 12-2 his senior year, reached the I-AA semifinals and was ranked No. 3 in the final coaches poll of the season. A captain for the Panthers as both a junior and senior, Johnson's teammate was future Pro Football Hall of Fame quarterback Kurt Warner, who took over for him for the 1993 season.
After his collegiate playing days, he moved to Columbia, Missouri, to attend graduate school at Missouri and simultaneously began his coaching career in 1993 as an assistant coach at the city's largest high school, Hickman. The following spring, he was a graduate assistant for the Tigers while finishing his degree.
His first full-time position soon followed, as he was the offensive and recruiting coordinator at Division III Augsburg (Minn.) College in the fall of 1994. He would spend the next two seasons (1995-96) back in the state of Missouri as the offensive coordinator at Truman State, where the Bulldogs were prolific on offense, averaging over 400 yards and 30 points on offense during his two years in Kirksville.
He became a graduate assistant at Kansas for the 1997 and 1998 seasons, where he was reunited with his college head coach at UNI, Terry Allen; he had the responsibility of developing the quarterbacks and helping KU in the area of breakdowns and analysis. Allen promoted him to a full-time coach in charge of the quarterbacks in 1999, and in 2001 switched him to running backs coach, with Johnson also working heavily with the special teams all three seasons in Lawrence.
After taking a year off from coaching in 2002, he was named tight ends coach and recruiting coordinator at Southern Mississippi under its longtime head coach, Jeff Bower for the 2003 season. Johnson then coached the running backs in 2004, and in 2005, he took the reins as offensive coordinator for the next three seasons, the final three years of Bower's 18-year run as the Golden Eagles head coach. In his final season there, USM established a school record for total offense, eclipsing the 5,000-yard mark for the first time in finishing with 5,066 yards.
Johnson graduated from Northern Iowa in 1992 with a bachelor's degree in science (minor in coaching), earning his way on the Dean's List. While at Missouri, he received his master's in exercise sciences with an emphasis in exercise physiology, earning the Superior Graduate Achievement Award with a perfect 4.0 cumulative grade point average.
Born Sept. 18, 1969, in Austin, Minnesota, Johnson graduated from Lakeville (Minn.) High School, where he lettered in football, basketball and baseball. He and his wife, Lori, have a son, Cole.
THE JAY JOHNSON FILE
AT A QUICK GLANCE: Johnson has coached and/or worked as a quality control specialist in 251 FBS games as a full-timer (141-110 record).
POSTSEASON COACHING EXPERIENCE: 12 bowl games (2003 Liberty, 2004 New Orleans, 2005 New Orleans, 2006 GMAC, 2007 PapaJohns.com, 2011 New Orleans, 2012 New Orleans, 2013 New Orleans, 2014 New Orleans, 2016 Holiday, 2017 Rose/CFP Semifinal, 2017 CFP Championship).
PREVIOUS COACHING EXPERIENCE:
Assistant coach at Hickman High School (Columbia, Mo.) (1993)
Graduate assistant on offense at Missouri (spring only, 1994)
Offensive coordinator/recruiting coordinator at Augsburg (Minn.) College (1994)
Offensive coordinator at Truman State (1995-96)
Graduate assistant on offense at Kansas (1997-98)
Quarterbacks coach at Kansas (1999-2000)
Running backs coach at Kansas (2001)
Running backs coach at Southern Mississippi (2003)
Tight ends coach at Southern Mississippi (2004)
Offensive coordinator/quarterbacks coach at Southern Mississippi (2005-07)
Quality control/offense at Louisville (2008)
Tight ends coach at Louisville (2009)
Quarterbacks coach at Central Michigan (2010)
Offensive coordinator/quarterbacks coach at Louisiana (2011-15)
Offensive coordinator/quarterbacks coach at Minnesota (2016)
Quality control/offense at Georgia (2017-18)
Offensive coordinator/quarterbacks coach at Colorado (2019)
PLAYING EXPERIENCE: Four-year letterwinner as a quarterback at Northern Iowa (1989-92).
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