Paul Johnson
Paul Johnson went 190–99 on the field as a head coach, 1997–2018, at Georgia Southern, Navy and Georgia Tech; 189–99 officially, after the NCAA vacated one win (2009). Share
Five seasons our game records don’t credit to him come from the coach’s Wikipedia article: 1997–2001 at Georgia Southern. They’re marked in the table.
- Record
- 189–99 official; 190–99 on the field
- Seasons
- 22
- Schools
- 3
- Final AP top 10
- 1 season
- Born
- Aug 20, 1957
- Alma mater
- Western Carolina 1979
- Hall of Fame
- 2023 inducted
- Best season
- 2014 11–3, No. 8
Season by season
| Season | School | Record | Conference finish | Bowl | AP final | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1997 | Georgia Southern * | 10–3 | 1st | NCAA Division I-AA Quarterfinal L | ||
| 1998 | Georgia Southern * | 14–1 | 1st | NCAA Division I-AA Championship L | ||
| 1999 | Georgia Southern * | 13–2 | T–1st | NCAA Division I-AA Championship W | ||
| 2000 | Georgia Southern * | 13–2 | 1st | NCAA Division I-AA Championship W | ||
| 2001 | Georgia Southern * | 12–2 | T–1st | NCAA Division I-AA Semifinal L | ||
| 2002 | Navy | 2–10 | ||||
| 2003 | Navy | 8–5 | Houston Bowl L | |||
| 2004 | Navy | 10–2 | Emerald Bowl W | 24 | ||
| 2005 | Navy | 8–4 | Poinsettia Bowl W | |||
| 2006 | Navy | 9–4 | Meineke Car Care Bowl L | |||
| 2007 | Navy | 8–4 | Poinsettia (not coached) | |||
| 2008 | Georgia Tech | 9–4 | T–1st (Coastal) | Chick-fil-A Bowl L | 22 | |
| 2009 | Georgia Tech | 11–3 (10–3 official) | 1st (Coastal) | Orange Bowl L | 13 | |
| 2010 | Georgia Tech | 6–7 | T–3rd (Coastal) | Independence Bowl L | ||
| 2011 | Georgia Tech | 8–5 | T–2nd (Coastal) | Sun Bowl L | ||
| 2012 | Georgia Tech | 7–7 | T–1st (Coastal) | Sun Bowl W | ||
| 2013 | Georgia Tech | 7–6 | T–2nd (Coastal) | Music City Bowl L | ||
| 2014 | Georgia Tech | 11–3 | 1st (Coastal) | Orange Bowl W | 8 | |
| 2015 | Georgia Tech | 3–9 | 7th (Coastal) | |||
| 2016 | Georgia Tech | 9–4 | 5th (Coastal) | Gator Bowl W | ||
| 2017 | Georgia Tech | 5–6 | 3rd (Coastal) | |||
| 2018 | Georgia Tech | 7–6 | 2nd (Coastal) | Quick Lane Bowl L |
Each season links to the team’s season page; bowls and playoff games link to the game. Conference finishes from the Wikipedia article’s record table. * A season our game records don’t credit to him; its record is the article’s.
Players he coached
Sean Bedford2010 Burlsworth Trophy
Every player from his seasons with a Heisman top-five finish, a national award, consensus All-America honors or a first-round pick. Photos: Wikimedia Commons, free licenses; credits on each player’s page.
How his teams did
| Kind of game | Games | Record | Won |
|---|---|---|---|
| Against ranked teams | 45 | 13–32 | 29% |
| Against top-10 teams | 19 | 5–14 | 26% |
| Against rivals | 68 | 35–33 | 51% |
| Conference games | 88 | 51–37 | 58% |
| Bowls and playoffs | 13 | 5–8 | 38% |
| Decided by 8 points or fewer | 80 | 40–40 | 50% |
| At home | 106 | 71–35 | 67% |
| On the road | 84 | 43–41 | 51% |
| At neutral sites | 27 | 14–13 | 52% |
| As our Elo’s favorite | 133 | 100–33 | 75% |
| As our Elo’s underdog | 84 | 28–56 | 33% |
His own 217 games on file, 2002–2018, as played (vacated wins counted, ties as half a win). Ranks are the AP poll going into the game; rivals are the ones either program’s Wikipedia article names; favorite and underdog by our own Elo rating, which reads only scores.
Against other head coaches
| Coach | Record | Their schools | Games | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Dabo Swinney 2008–2018 | 5–7 | Clemson | 12 | |
| David Cutcliffe 2008–2018 | 7–4 | Duke | 11 | |
| Mark Richt 2008–2018 | 3–8 | Georgia, Miami | 11 | |
| Frank Beamer 2008–2015 | 2–6 | Virginia Tech | 8 | |
| Larry Fedora 2012–2018 | 4–3 | North Carolina | 7 | |
| Mike London 2010–2015 | 4–2 | Virginia | 6 | |
| Al Golden 2006–2014 | 3–3 | Temple, Miami | 6 | |
| Fisher DeBerry 2002–2006 | 4–1 | Air Force | 5 | |
| Bronco Mendenhall 2012–2018 | 2–3 | BYU, Virginia | 5 | |
| Greg Schiano 2003–2007 | 1–4 | Rutgers | 5 |
Paul Johnson’s record against the head coaches he met three or more times, from the games on file, as played.
Most-faced opponents
| Opponent | Games | Record |
|---|---|---|
| Dukeseries | 16 | 11–5 |
| Clemsonseries | 12 | 5–7 |
| North Carolinaseries | 11 | 7–4 |
| Virginiaseries | 11 | 7–4 |
| Virginia Techseries | 11 | 5–6 |
| Georgiaseries | 11 | 3–8 |
| Miamiseries | 11 | 3–8 |
| Air Forceseries | 7 | 5–2 |
National coaching awards
The awards- 2004 Navy: Bobby Dodd Award
Career
| Years | Team | Job | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1979–80 | Avery County HS (NC) high school | Offensive coordinator and offensive line coach | |
| 1981–82 | Lees–McRae | Offensive coordinator | |
| 1983–84 | Georgia Southern | Defensive line coach | |
| 1985–86 | Georgia Southern | Offensive coordinator | |
| 1987–94 | Hawaii | Offensive coordinator | |
| 1995–96 | Navy | Offensive coordinator | |
| 1997–2001 | Georgia Southern | Head coach | |
| 2002–07 | Navy | Head coach | |
| 2008–18 | Georgia Tech | Head coach |
Every job as the infobox of his Wikipedia article lists it (CC BY-SA), assistant jobs included.
Coaching tree
Worked under
- Erk RussellGeorgia Southern
- Bob WagnerHawai’i
- Charlie WeatherbieNavy
Assistants who became head coaches
- Brian BohannonKennesaw State
- Jeff MonkenArmy, Georgia Southern
- Mike SewakGeorgia Southern
- Dawson OdumsSouthern, Norfolk State, Bowie State
- Buddy GreenChattanooga
- Ken NiumataloloNavy, San José State
- Kevin KellyGeorgetown, New England (NH)
- Charles KellyJacksonville State
- Al GrohWake Forest, Virginia, New York Jets
- Andy McCollumMiddle Tennessee, Sewanee
- Ted RoofDuke
- Paul HamiltonEast Tennessee State, Elon, Brevard
- and 1 more
Worked under (3)
| Head coach | Team | Years | His job | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Erk Russell | Georgia Southern | 1983–86 | 1983–84: defensive line coach; 1985–86: offensive coordinator | |
| Bob Wagner | Hawai’i | 1987–94 | Offensive coordinator | |
| Charlie Weatherbie | Navy | 1995–96 | Offensive coordinator |
Coached under him, later head coaches (13)
| Coach | With him | Head coach at | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Brian Bohannon | Georgia Southern, 1997–99: wide receivers coach; 2000–01: defensive backs coach; Navy, 2002–07: wide receivers coach; Georgia Tech, 2008–12: quarterbacks coach and b-backs | Kennesaw State | |
| Jeff Monken | Georgia Southern, 1997–2001: running backs coach; Navy, 2002–05: running backs coach; 2006–07: special teams and running backs coach; Georgia Tech, 2008–09: special teams and running backs coach | Army, Georgia Southern | |
| Mike Sewak | Georgia Southern, 1997–2001: offensive coordinator; Georgia Tech, 2008–18: offensive line coach | Georgia Southern | |
| Dawson Odums | Georgia Southern, 2000: outside linebackers coach; 2001: defensive ends coach | Southern, Norfolk State, Bowie State | |
| Buddy Green | Navy, 2002–07: defensive coordinator and defensive backs coach | Chattanooga | |
| Ken Niumatalolo | Navy, 2002–07: assistant head coach and offensive line coach | Navy, San José State | |
| Kevin Kelly | Navy, 2002–05: special teams and linebackers coach | Georgetown, New England (NH) | |
| Charles Kelly | Georgia Tech, 2008–09: cornerbacks coach; 2010–12: defensive backs coach; 2012: interim defensive coordinator | Jacksonville State | |
| Al Groh | Georgia Tech, 2010–12: defensive coordinator | Wake Forest, Virginia, New York Jets | |
| Andy McCollum | Georgia Tech, 2010–11: defensive line coach and recruiting coordinator; 2012: defensive line and linebackers coach and recruiting coordinator; 2013–15: linebackers coach and recruiting coordinator; 2016: safeties coach and recruiting coordinator; 2017: safeties coach; 2018: inside linebackers coach | Middle Tennessee, Sewanee | |
| Ted Roof | Georgia Tech, 2013–17: defensive coordinator | Duke | |
| Paul Hamilton | Georgia Tech, 2017–18: associate director of player personnel and offensive assistant | East Tennessee State, Elon, Brevard | |
| Nate Woody | Georgia Tech, 2018: defensive coordinator | [[Appalachian State Mountaineers football |
Other assistants under him (6)
| Coach | With him | |
|---|---|---|
| Ivin Jasper | Georgia Southern, 1999–2001: quarterbacks and fullbacks coach; Navy, 2002–07: quarterbacks coach | |
| Dave Wommack | Georgia Tech, 2008–09: defensive coordinator | |
| Lamar Owens | Georgia Tech, 2008–09: assistant coach; 2010–18: AB; 2016: AB and special teams coach; 2017–18: AB, special teams coach and recruiting coordinator | |
| Nathan Burton | Georgia Tech, 2008: graduate assistant | |
| Chris Hampton | Georgia Tech, 2009–10: graduate assistant | |
| Shiel Wood | Georgia Tech, 2018: safeties coach |
From coaches’ Wikipedia infoboxes (CC BY-SA) and each season’s article for its coordinators: an assistant’s seasons at a school count under its head coach in our records; jobs in the NFL and elsewhere, under the head coach whose own article lists the job that year. Names without a page here link to their Wikipedia articles.
Pay
| Year | School | Job | Contract pay | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2017 | Georgia Tech | head coachbonuses up to $1,050,000; $425,000 in bonuses paid; buyout $3,247,574 | $2,970,891 USA Today | |
| 2016 | Georgia Tech | head coachbonuses up to $1,050,000; $235,000 in bonuses paid | $2,886,361 USA Today | |
| 2015 | Georgia Tech | head coachbonuses up to $1,050,000; $450,000 in bonuses paid | $2,802,000 USA Today | |
| 2014 | Georgia Tech | head coachbonuses up to $1,275,000 | $2,590,500 USA Today | |
| 2013 | Georgia Tech | head coachbonuses up to $1,025,000 | $2,515,500 USA Today via Leeds | |
| 2012 | Georgia Tech | head coachbonuses up to $1,025,000 | $2,445,700 USA Today via Leeds | |
| 2011 | Georgia Tech | head coachbonuses up to $1,125,000 | $2,369,000 USA Today via Leeds | |
| 2010 | Georgia Tech | head coachbonuses up to $1,125,000 | $2,300,000 USA Today via Leeds | |
| 2009 | Georgia Tech | head coachbonuses up to $1,025,000 | $2,300,000 USA Today via Leeds | |
| 2008 | Georgia Tech | head coach | $1,600,000 USA Today via Leeds |
USA Today’s coaches salary database (2014–17, from public-records requests to the schools; Rachel Ehlers’ copy): the season’s contract pay, school pay plus outside money, before bonuses.
The same USA Today database for 2006–16, from Michael Leeds’ replication data on Harvard Dataverse (CC0): the season’s contract pay.
Pay of public employees in their public job only: head coaches, and assistants in the seasons our records name them a coordinator, at public universities.
How he coached
Johnson’s teams went for it on 32% of fourth downs and on 55% of those where the model said go for it, passed on 20% of plays and took 27.3 seconds a play, 2004–2018.
| Season | School | Went for it on fourth | When the model said go | Pass rate | Seconds a play | EPA a play | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2004 4 g | Navy | 12 of 26 46% | 67% | 14% | 21.8 | +0.16 | |
| 2005 11 g | Navy | 28 of 71 39% | 59% | 20% | 24.8 | +0.09 | |
| 2006 13 g | Navy | 18 of 77 23% | 50% | 16% | 27.2 | +0.03 | |
| 2007 13 g | Navy | 29 of 75 39% | 65% | 15% | 23.9 | +0.16 | |
| 2008 12 g | Georgia Tech | 26 of 87 30% | 53% | 23% | 28.6 | −0.05 | |
| 2009 14 g | Georgia Tech | 27 of 84 32% | 59% | 19% | 29.4 | +0.11 | |
| 2010 13 g | Georgia Tech | 39 of 99 39% | 61% | 20% | 24.6 | 0.00 | |
| 2011 13 g | Georgia Tech | 20 of 75 27% | 49% | 20% | 27.1 | +0.10 | |
| 2012 14 g | Georgia Tech | 37 of 101 37% | 58% | 20% | 25.5 | +0.08 | |
| 2013 13 g | Georgia Tech | 17 of 75 23% | 42% | 22% | 27.5 | +0.10 | |
| 2014 14 g | Georgia Tech | 17 of 63 27% | 48% | 22% | 28.4 | +0.22 | |
| 2015 12 g | Georgia Tech | 25 of 81 31% | 45% | 27% | 28.3 | +0.02 | |
| 2016 13 g | Georgia Tech | 22 of 84 26% | 47% | 23% | 29.9 | +0.10 | |
| 2017 11 g | Georgia Tech | 19 of 77 25% | 53% | 19% | 29.3 | +0.02 | |
| 2018 13 g | Georgia Tech | 33 of 78 42% | 66% | 16% | 29.1 | +0.12 | |
| All 183 g | 369 of 1153 32% | 55% | 20% | 27.3 | +0.08 |
His seasons as a head coach from 2004 on, from ESPN’s play by play: fourth downs where he went for it out of every fourth-down decision; how often he went when SportsDataverse’s fourth-down model said going for it was the better call; the share of his offense’s plays that were passes; seconds of game clock per offensive play (lower is faster); and expected points added per offensive play (EPA, a measure of how much each play moved the offense toward points). The season in progress counts its games so far. SportsDataverse’s coach tendencies, from ESPN’s play by play; the EPA and the fourth-down model are SportsDataverse’s.