David Johnson - Running Backs Coach/Recruiting Coordinator - Football Coaches

David Johnson

Title:
Running Backs Coach/Recruiting Coordinator

David Johnson was named Florida State’s running backs coach and recruiting coordinator on Jan. 5, 2020, and is in his sixth season with the Seminoles in 2025.

Johnson has coached 19 all-conference performers who have combined to earn 29 all-conference recognitions, including four Special Teams Player of the Year honors. Johnson produced an NFL Draft pick in each of the last seven years, from 2018-24.

Florida State completed a 13-0 regular season in 2023 that culminated in the program’s 16th ACC championship with a victory over No. 14 Louisville in the ACC Championship Game and earned a berth in the Orange Bowl behind an offense that led the conference in scoring for the second consecutive year. Florida State’s 34.6 points-per-game average was bolstered by a program-record-tying 20 different players scoring at least one touchdown and ranked 19th overall in the country. The Seminoles also led the ACC with 61 total touchdowns scored, 32 rushing touchdowns and an average of 13.5 yards per completion while posting the conference’s fewest interceptions thrown and total turnovers.

Trey Benson, a third-round pick by the Arizona Cardinals in the 2024 NFL Draft, showcased his explosiveness and versatility during an All-ACC season, becoming the first player in program history with an 80-yard touchdown run and an 80-yard touchdown reception in a career and also tying the program record with three games scoring three rushing touchdowns. Benson finished the 2023 season with 1,133 all-purpose yards with 14 rushing touchdowns and one receiving score. His rushing touchdowns total tied for seventh on FSU’s single-season list and ranked second in the ACC and 15th nationally in 2023, while his 15 total touchdowns were second in the conference and his average of 5.81 yards per carry ranked fourth. Benson, who in 2022 became the first FSU runner with a three-rushing-score game against Florida, matched that total to account for all three touchdowns in a 24-15 win at UF in 2023. He posted his first 200-yard rushing game in the win vs. Virginia Tech, the fifth-highest rushing total in Doak Campbell Stadium history, and broke FSU’s single-game rushing average record with a mark of 18.2 yards per carry to better Warrick Dunn’s record set in 1995.

Lawrance Toafili was named ACC Championship Game MVP after rushing for a career-high 118 yards, including a career-long 73-yard rush, and the go-ahead touchdown in FSU’s 16-6 victory. Toafili’s 73-yard run was the second-longest rushing play in ACC Championship Game history, and he became the third FSU running back to be named ACC Championship Game MVP and first since Dalvin Cook in 2014. Toafili, who ended the season with 649 all-purpose yards and five touchdowns, also led the team with 93 rushing yards in the 41-3 win over Syracuse.

Toafili built on his ACC Championship MVP as the Seminoles’ leading rusher in 2024. His 28-yard rushing touchdown against Georgia Tech was the first touchdown of the 2024 FBS season and was FSU’s longest rushing score of the season. Toafili started 11 games on the season, running for 456 yards and touchdowns against the Yellow Jackets, California and Florida.

Benson and Toafili finished their FSU careers tied for 18^th in program history with 1,895 rushing yards. Toafili was also 18^th with 2,800 career all-purpose yards.

In 2022, Johnson’s running backs contributed to one of the most explosive offenses in the nation while helping lead FSU to a 10-3 record and a final ranking of No. 10 in the Coaches Poll and No. 11 in the AP poll. Florida State led the nation with its average of 7.46 plays of 20-plus yards per game, the program’s highest season average since the 2013 national championship, and was third in the country with an explosive play rate of 17.15 percent. The Seminoles were one of two teams nationally to average at least 270 passing yards and at least 210 rushing yards per game in 2022. FSU also tied for the national lead with eight touchdown drives of 90-plus yards, and its 16 touchdown drives of 80-plus yards were third-most in the country.

The Seminoles led the ACC in third-down offense, yards gained per pass, yards gained per play, yards gained per rush, total offense per game, yards per completion, rushing offense per game and scoring offense per game. Florida State was the first team to lead the ACC in scoring and total offense in the same season since 2019 and was one of two teams nationally to lead its conference in yards per rush, yards per pass and yards per play in 2022.

Florida State’s average of 214.1 rushing yards per game was the program’s highest since 1995 and was bolstered by eight 200-yard rushing games, including a school-record-tying seven straight to end the regular season. In the season opener, FSU had three 100-yard rushers for the first time in school history and in the regular season finale, a 45-38 win over Florida, the Seminoles’ five rushing touchdowns were the most by a Gator opponent since 1997.

Benson, a second-team All-ACC performer, paced the running backs with his five 100-yard rushing games, including three consecutive career-high totals, and led the ACC with his average of 5.5 yards per carry. Treshaun Ward, who had two 100-yard rushing games, was an honorable mention all-conference selection and semifinalist for the Burlsworth Trophy despite missing four games due to injury. The running back group combined for 2,283 rushing yards and 24 touchdowns.

The 2021 season featured a breakout performance by All-ACC running back Jashaun Corbin. The redshirt sophomore totaled 1,159 all-purpose yards, and his average of 6.2 yards per carry ranked first in the conference and 16th nationally among rushers with at least 10 rushing attempts per game. Corbin showed off his amazing speed with touchdown runs of 89 yards against Notre Dame and 75 yards against Louisville. He was the only rusher in the ACC and one of six nationally with multiple 75-yard runs in the 2021 season and only the fourth player in program history with multiple 75-yard touchdown runs in a season.

The running back group also received significant contributions from Ward and Toafili in their redshirt freshmen years. Ward rushed for 515 yards and four touchdowns, and his average of 6.36 yards per carry was the highest in the ACC among rushers with at least four attempts per game. Toafili rushed for 163 yards and one touchdown and added 116 yards and two touchdowns receiving. Toafili caught a 75-yard touchdown at Clemson, which made him the fifth player in program history with a receiving and rushing touchdown of at least 70 yards in a career.

In his first year at Florida State, Johnson coached a completely new group as Florida State’s running back room featured zero returning scholarship players from the previous season. He utilized the group’s youth and versatility to account for 1,855 all-purpose yards, led by Corbin and Toafili, and 13 touchdowns, including Ja’Khi Douglas’ two receiving scores. Against Duke, Corbin rushed for a career-high three touchdowns, one shy of the school record, and Toafili posted a career-best 117 yards, including a 73-yard touchdown, on only seven carries. Toafili was one of only 12 rushers in the ACC with a 70-yard run in 2020.

Florida State averaged 199.9 rushing yards per game, the program’s highest since 2016 and 20th nationally among teams that played at least nine games in 2020, and 5.11 yards per rush, 16th in the nation among teams with at least 350 carries and FSU’s most in a season since 2015. In the season finale, a 56-35 win over Duke, Florida State rushed for six touchdowns, the most in the ACC and tied for the seventh-highest single-game total nationally in 2020. That also was only the second time in FSU history the Seminoles rushed for six touchdowns in a conference game, and the 346 rushing yards against Duke were the most by a Florida State team since 2012.

Johnson spent the 2018 and 2019 seasons at Tennessee after coaching on Mike Norvell’s Memphis staff in 2016 and 2017. Johnson also brought Division I experience from Tulane and before that spent 12 years as a high school coach in New Orleans around a four-year stint at Millsaps College.

Tennessee improved from four wins the season before Johnson arrived to eight wins and a Gator Bowl victory in 2019. He coached the Vols’ wide receivers in 2018 before moving to running backs in 2019, leading a group that produced five 100-yard rushing games.

Eric Gray broke UT’s single-game true freshman rushing record with 246 yards against Vanderbilt, a total that ranked fifth on the Vols’ all-time list. Nationally, it was the ninth-highest single-game total, and highest by a true freshman, in 2019. Gray was named Gator Bowl MVP after recovering an onside kick and scoring the game-winning touchdown 30 seconds later. The 2018 team ranked sixth in the SEC with an average of 7.9 yards per catch and had four different receivers average more than 14.0 yards per reception, led by Josh Palmer’s 21.04 average.

In his two seasons at Memphis, Johnson was the Tigers’ wide receivers coach and passing game coordinator. He developed former walk-on Anthony Miller to consensus All-America honors in 2017 after Miller led the NCAA with 18 receiving touchdowns and ranked third in the country with 1,462 yards and fifth with 96 receptions. Miller was then selected 51st overall in the 2018 NFL Draft by the Chicago Bears. Memphis concluded the 2017 season ranked second in the country with an average of 45.5 points per game, fourth with 523.1 yards of total offense per game, sixth with a passing efficiency rating of 160.15 and seventh with an average of 335.0 passing yards per game.

The 2016 season was Miller’s breakout year as he re-wrote Memphis’ single-season records with 95 catches, 1,434 yards and 14 touchdowns. Those numbers would all improve in Johnson’s second season working with Miller. The 2016 Tigers ranked 14th in the country with 304.4 passing yards per game, and their 38.8 points-per-game average was 15th.

Johnson joined Memphis after four seasons as Tulane’s running backs and tight ends coach. In 2014, he coached a Freshman All-American at each position as running back Sherman Badie led the Green Wave with 688 rushing yards and tight end Charles Jones caught 21 passes for 192 yards and a team-high three touchdowns. The 2013 team advanced to the program’s first bowl since 2002 and Orleans Darkwa was named MVP of the New Orleans Bowl after rushing for three touchdowns. Those three scores pushed his season total to 12, tied for the third-highest single-season output in program history, and allowed him to tie former NFL running back Matt Forte for the Tulane record with 39 career rushing scores.

From 2005-08, Johnson coached wide receivers, tight ends and special teams while also serving as the recruiting coordinator at Millsaps College. While there he helped lead the Majors to three consecutive SCAC championships and set the program up for a fourth straight in 2009.

Johnson was the head coach at St. Augustine High School from 2009-11. He led the Purple Knights to district titles in 2010 and 2011, earning the district’s Coach of the Year honor in 2011. In his first season he developed defensive back Tyrann Mathieu, who earned consensus All-America honors and was named SEC Defensive Player of the Year and a Heisman finalist in 2011 at LSU. He also coached two-time USA Today High School All-American running back Leonard Fournette at St. Augustine, laying the foundation for a consensus All-America performance in 2015 and two All-SEC selections while at LSU before being drafted fourth overall in 2017 by the Jacksonville Jaguars.

Johnson served as offensive coordinator at John F. Kennedy High School and O. Perry Walker High School. He helped direct O. Perry Walker to three straight district championships and the 2002 state championship game while coaching All-American Craig Davis, a first-round selection by the Chargers in 2007 after winning a national championship at LSU, and Mike Wallace, who was taken in the third round in 2009 out of Ole Miss.

A two-time all-conference player at Nicholls State, Johnson led the Colonels in receiving in 1992 and 1993. He totaled 50 receptions for 990 yards and eight touchdowns in those two seasons and also served as a punt returner for Nicholls.

Johnson graduated from Nicholls State in 1995 with a bachelor’s degree in general education. He and his wife, Akeia, have three children, Jermaine, De’Von and Karaaz.

Years	Team	Position
2020-	Florida State	Running Backs/Recruiting Coordinator
2019	Tennessee	Running Backs
2018	Tennessee	Wide Receivers
2016-17	Memphis	Wide Receivers/Passing Game Coordinator
2012-15	Tulane	Running Backs/Tight Ends
2009-11	St. Augustine High School (La.)	Head Coach
2005-08	Millsaps College	Wide Receivers/Tight Ends/Special Teams/Recruiting Coordinator
2000-04	O. Perry Walker High School (La.)	Offensive Coordinator/Wide Receivers/Tight Ends
1997-99	John F. Kennedy High School (La.)	Offensive Coordinator/Wide Receivers/Tight Ends