Former Ole Miss great C.J. Johnson is now the head football coach at Holmes Community College.
The Bulldogs promoted Johnson, who most recently served as assistant head coach and defensive coordinator, after former head man Marcus Wood’s retirement.
“Choosing C.J. Johnson as our next head football coach is a tremendous moment for Holmes Community College, as he has earned the respect of our entire campus through his tireless work ethic over the past four seasons,” Holmes President Dr. Jim Haffey said.
Johnson came to Holmes from Morton High School, where he served as assistant football coach. Prior to Morton, he was defensive coordinator at American Heritage, defensive line coach at Coffeyville Community College, defensive line coach at East Mississippi Community College, and a graduate assistant at Florida Atlantic, among other stops.
At East Mississippi, he helped the Lions win one national title and two state championships. At Florida Atlantic, he helped the team claim the Conference USA championship under former Ole Miss and current LSU head coach Lane Kiffin.
Before beginning his coaching career in 2016 with his initial East Mississippi stint, Johnson was a five-year letterman at Ole Miss, where he helped lead former head coach Hugh Freeze’s Rebel squads to four consecutive postseason bowl game appearances, including three bowl victories.
As a three-year defensive starter for the Rebels, Johnson recorded 180 career total tackles, 27 stops behind the line of scrimmage, including 13.5 sacks, 11 quarterback hurries, 3 interceptions, 4 fumble recoveries, and 2 forced fumbles. As a Philadelphia High School athlete, Johnson earned 3A Defensive Player of the Year and First Team All-State by the Mississippi Association of Coaches honord. He was a four-star prospect and widely considered Mississippi’s top prep player.
After college, he participated in the 2016 NFL Combine and was signed as a rookie free agent by the New England Patriots.
Now stepping into his new role as a first-time head coach, Johnson said his top priority is retaining current rostered football players and adding key pieces through recruiting. He is also working to build out a full staff.
“The main focus right now is retaining the players that we do have on campus is a top priority for us and being able to get out on the road and recruit the state and across the Southeast region that fit Holmes Community College,” Johnson said. “The plan is to hire coordinators on both sides of the ball, and we’ve already started that process, and we are confident that we’ll get some coordinators in there that’ll fit the identity of what we are trying to build from an offensive and defensive standpoint.”