Veteran defensive coordinator Jeremiah Johnson joined the Coastal Carolina staff in January 2025.
He comes to Conway after a year in the same role at Louisiana Tech.
An innovative and experienced defensive mind, Johnson spent the 2023 season as defensive coordinator at Northern Iowa following a one-year stint at Kent State, where he served in the same capacity in 2022. Before Kent State, Johnson spent 15 seasons at Northern Iowa, including nine as defensive coordinator.
Louisiana Tech’s 2024 defense finished the season as the No. 12 ranked total defense in the nation, allowing just 308.4 yards per game. The ranking is a 98-place improvement over where they finished in 2023 (110). Johnson’s group also showed a 91-place improvement in scoring defense, going from 117 to No. 26 and 88-place bump in rushing defense, going from 132 to No. 44.
During his 16 seasons at UNI, Johnson coached 32 First Team All-Missouri Valley Football Conference (MVFC) defenders, five MVFC Defensive Players of the Year, one Buck Buchanan Award winner, 15 AP FCS All-Americans, and seven AFCA All-Americans.
In 11 seasons as a defensive coordinator, Johnson’s defenses ranked in the top 10 of FCS statistical categories 29 times, including turnovers gained six times (2014, 2015, 2017, 2018, 2019, 2021), defensive touchdowns four times (2016, 2017, 2018, 2019), and scoring defense three times (2013, 2019, Spring 2021).
UNI won four conference championships during Johnson’s tenure in Cedar Falls (2007-2021, 2023). Additionally, the Panthers made 10 FCS Playoff appearances, while advancing past the first round in eight of 10 seasons.
Before being promoted to coordinator, he served as the defensive backs coach during the 2012 season. From 2007-2011, he served various roles in Cedar Falls, including video coordinator and DBs coach.
The native of Lawrence, Kansas, spent the 2003-2005 seasons at Loras College on the Duhawk coaching staff, where he served under current Kansas State head coach Chris Klieman in 2005
Prior to his work at Loras, Johnson was a graduate assistant/video coordinator at Wyoming in 2002.
A 2000 graduate of the University of Kansas with a degree in sports science, Johnson completed his master's degree in athletic administration at Loras in 2005.
Johnson is married to his wife Nicki and has a son, Lane, and a daughter, Drew.
