Getting to Know Coach Johnson
Reggie Johnson joined the Missouri State staff in 2020 as the team’s inside linebackers coach. He was promoted to co-defensive coordinator in 2023 under new head coach Ryan Beard while retaining his duties with the LBs.
Headlining Johnson’s position group in 2022, his third season with the Bears, were All-MVFC performer Ferrin Manuleleua and standout Von Young. Manuleleua racked up a team-high 82 tackles with Young ranking second on the team with 66 total stops. The impact defenders were pivotal to the Bears defensive efforts in Johnson’s third season with the program.
Tyler Wiltz was back on the All-MVFC team in 2021 and earned third-team All-American honors from Phil Steele after racking up 106 tackles and 14.5 TFLs.
In his first campaign in Springfield in 2020-21, Johnson helped guide the Bears to a share of the MVFC championship and first NCAA FCS Playoff appearance in 30 years. He mentored All-MVFC linebacker Tylar Wiltz who posted a team-high 80 tackles, including 51 solo stops and 7.0 tackles for loss.
Johnson served three seasons as defensive line coach at Purdue from 2017-19 before arriving at Missouri State. His tenure with the Boilermakers netted five All-Big Ten Conference selections. He joined the Boilermakers after spending the 2016 season at Western Kentucky, where he coached the defensive ends. The Hilltoppers’ primary defensive ends had 98 total stops, 22 tackles for loss and 11 sacks.
Prior to Western Kentucky, Johnson spent two seasons (2014-15) as defensive coordinator, linebackers and defensive line coach at Alabama A&M, two seasons as defensive coordinator and linebackers coach at UAB (2012-13) and four seasons as linebackers coach at Arkansas (2008-11).
Johnson also spent time with head coach Bobby Petrino previously, serving four seasons as linebackers coach (2004-07), one season as defensive line coach (2003) and two years as a graduate assistant (1997-98) at Louisville, his alma mater. Johnson had a three-year stint at Alabama A&M, where he served as special teams coordinator and defensive coach (1998-99) and inside linebackers coach (2000) and spent two seasons at UTEP as defensive ends (2001) and linebackers (2002) coach.
He has coached in 10 bowl games, including the 2005 Gator Bowl, 2006 Orange Bowl, 2010 Sugar Bowl and 2011 Cotton Bowl.
At Louisville, he helped mentor consensus All-American and Broncos draft pick Elvis Dumervil in 2003, as well as freshman and future first-round NFL Draft pick Amobi Okoye. Okoye, was the youngest player ever drafted at the age of 19 when he was selected by Houston in 2007.
He was a four-year letterman as a linebacker at Louisville from 1987-90 and played on a team that went 10-1-1 his senior year. He earned a bachelor’s degree in Political Science in 1996 and a Master’s degree in Education from Louisville in 1998.
Johnson and his wife, Eulice, have two children, Sydney and Jordan.
