Fansided

Ranking The Top Ten Offensive Coaches in College Football

By Nicholas Ian Allen

Jan 1, 2015; Tampa, FL, USA; Auburn Tigers head coach Gus Malzahn talks with the offense in the first half against the Wisconsin Badgers in the 2015 Outback Bowl at Raymond James Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Jonathan Dyer-USA TODAY Sports
Jan 1, 2015; Tampa, FL, USA; Auburn Tigers head coach Gus Malzahn talks with the offense in the first half against the Wisconsin Badgers in the 2015 Outback Bowl at Raymond James Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Jonathan Dyer-USA TODAY Sports /
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Dec 31, 2014; Miami Gardens, FL, USA; Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets head coach Paul Johnson (left) talks with running back Deon Hill (right) during the second quarter against the Mississippi State Bulldogs in the 2014 Orange Bowl at Sun Life Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Steve Mitchell-USA TODAY Sports
Dec 31, 2014; Miami Gardens, FL, USA; Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets head coach Paul Johnson (left) talks with running back Deon Hill (right) during the second quarter against the Mississippi State Bulldogs in the 2014 Orange Bowl at Sun Life Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Steve Mitchell-USA TODAY Sports /

Most of the coaches on this list direct up-tempo spread offenses with their quarterbacks nearly always in the shotgun. But that’s not Paul Johnson’s style.

Since he became the offensive coordinator at Georgia Southern in 1985 (after a stint on the defensive coaching staff there), Johnson has relied on the tried and true triple option, primarily out of a double slot/flexbone formation more common on Friday nights than Saturday afternoons.

After helping the program win national titles in 1985 and 1986, Johnson left for Hawaii where he was the offensive coordinator for eight seasons and coached a young quarterback and future coach named Ken Niumatalolo. Following two more seasons as a coordinator at Navy, Johnson returned to Georgia Southern as head coach in 1997.

He led the Eagles to the Division 1-AA national championship in both 1999 and 2000 and in 2002 was hired as the head coach at Navy. After a 2-10 debut season with the Midshipmen, Johnson rolled off five straight winning seasons and led the team to bowl games in each. More importantly, he went undefeated against Army and was 11-1 in Commander-in-Chief’s Trophy games, losing only to Air Force in his first season.

Johnson is just 58-35 overall at Georgia Tech, but he’s got the program trending in the right direction.

Last season, Johnson’s Yellow Jackets ran for 342.1 yards per game, second nationally to his former school, Georgia Southern. Tech amassed 477 total yards per game, which ranked 20th in the country and scored 37.9 points on average, which was 12th.

The team led the ACC in each category, finished the season 11-3 overall, beat Georgia, won the Coastal Division and the Orange Bowl. Johnson was named ACC Coach of the Year for the third time (he also won the award in 2008 and 2009).

Next: Gus Malzahn

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