UCF football expected to hire Will Johnson as cornerbacks coach

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ORLANDO — UCF is expected to hire Will Johnson as its cornerbacks coach, a team source confirmed to The News-Journal on Wednesday, Dec. 17.

Johnson, who held the same role at North Dakota State the last two seasons, reunites with UCF defensive coordinator Alex Grinch, for whom he worked as a graduate assistant at Oklahoma and USC from 2020-23.

Johnson takes over for Brandon Harris, who departed the program after one season and is expected to join Jon Sumrall’s staff at Florida, as reported by 247Sports’ Matt Zenitz.

A Baltimore native, Johnson helped North Dakota State win a Football Championship Subdivision title last year. According to Pro Football Focus, the Bison ranked No. 2 in the FCS with a 92.8 coverage grade, allowing just 148.4 passing yards per game.

North Dakota State intercepted 19 passes, third-most among FCS programs, and returned three of those picks for touchdowns.

Johnson, a Baltimore native, earned an All-Big 12 honorable mention during his playing days at Oklahoma. He started 17 of his 30 career games for the Sooners, totaling 120 tackles, 5½ TFLs, two interceptions and eight pass breakups.

UCF has one positional coaching vacancy left to fill, seeking a full-time offensive line coach. Shawn Clark died Sept. 21 from complications after suffering a medical emergency, and Alex Farah and Danny Hope coached the unit together for the final nine games of the 2024 campaign.

This article originally appeared on The Daytona Beach News-Journal: UCF Knights football: Will Johnson hired as cornerbacks coach

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