| Detroit Lions | |
|---|---|
| Position: | Offensive coordinator |
| Personal information | |
| Born: | May 11, 1986 Charleston, South Carolina, U.S. |
| Height: | 6 ft 1 in (1.85 m) |
| Weight: | 195 lb (88 kg) |
| Career information | |
| High school: | A. C. Reynolds (Asheville, North Carolina) |
| College: | North Carolina (2004–2007) |
| Career history | |
| As a coach: | |
| |
| Coaching stats at PFR | |
Benjamin David Johnson (born May 11, 1986) is an American football coach who is the offensive coordinator for the Detroit Lions of the National Football League (NFL). He was a walk-on quarterback at North Carolina in the mid-2000s and began his coaching career as a graduate assistant with Boston College in 2009. Johnson joined the NFL as an assistant offensive coach in 2012, first with the Miami Dolphins and later with the Lions.
Early life and college
He was born Benjamin David Johnson on May 11, 1986, in Charleston, South Carolina.[1] He attended and played quarterback at A. C. Reynolds High School in Asheville, North Carolina, where he was named conference player of the year as a senior and graduated in the top five of his class.[1] Johnson joined the Tar Heels at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill as a walk-on in 2004, where he competed as a reserve quarterback before graduating in 2008 with degrees in mathematics and computer science.[1][2]
Coaching
Boston College
Johnson began his coaching career at Boston College as a graduate assistant in 2009. He was promoted to tight ends coach in 2011.
Miami Dolphins
Johnson was hired as an offensive assistant for the Miami Dolphins in February 2012.[3] He was promoted to assistant quarterbacks coach in 2013 and served as tight ends coach in 2015 after Dan Campbell was named interim head coach early in the season.[4] Johnson was named assistant wide receivers coach in 2017 and was promoted to wide receivers coach the following season.[5]
Detroit Lions
Johnson was hired as an offensive quality control coach for the Detroit Lions in 2019.[6] He was promoted to tight ends coach in 2020 and was retained by the Lions when Campbell was hired as their head coach in 2021.[7][8] Johnson was promoted to offensive coordinator in 2022, receiving head coaching interest from other teams by the end of the season after leading the Lions to a top five offense.[9] He remained in Detroit for the 2023 season, in which the team won the division for the first time since 1993 and the first playoff win since 1991.[10][11]
References
- 1 2 3 "Ben Johnson - Football". goheels.com. North Carolina Tar Heels. 2006. Retrieved January 13, 2024.
- ↑ Rogers, Justin (February 7, 2022). "Lions promoting Ben Johnson to offensive coordinator". The Detroit News. Retrieved January 13, 2024.
- ↑ "Miami Dolphins Offseason: Dolphins Complete Coaching Staff". Bleacher Report. Retrieved 2 November 2021.
- ↑ Miami Dolphins [@MiamiDolphins] (October 7, 2015). "We have made the following coaching staff changes: Ben Johnson will serve as tight ends coach" (Tweet) – via Twitter.
- ↑ "Dolphins hire Dowell Loggains as offensive coordinator". Associated Press. 19 January 2018. Retrieved 2 November 2021.
- ↑ "Report: Lions hire Ben Johnson as offensive quality control coach". USA Today. 10 September 2019. Retrieved 2 November 2021.
- ↑ "Detroit Lions finalizing coaching staff, shifting Ben Johnson to TE coach". PrideofDetroit. 25 February 2020. Retrieved 2 November 2021.
- ↑ "Report: Detroit Lions to retain TE coach Ben Johnson". USA Today. 28 January 2021. Retrieved 2 November 2021.
- ↑ Birkett, Dave (February 7, 2022). "Detroit Lions hire TEs coach Ben Johnson as new offensive coordinator". Detroit Free Press. Retrieved February 10, 2022.
- ↑ Risdon, Jeff (February 15, 2023). "Ben Johnson explains why he turned down head coaching interviews to stay in Detroit". Lions Wire. USA Today. Retrieved January 13, 2024.
- ↑ Rogers, Justin (11 January 2024). "Lions coordinators Ben Johnson, Aaron Glenn now have 9 combined interview requests". The Detroit News. Retrieved 13 January 2024.