Mississippi State Strengthens Offensive Staff With Addition Of Kevin Johns
December 28, 2025 | Football
STARKVILLE — Mississippi State head football coach Jeff Lebby announced Sunday the hiring of nationally regarded veteran offensive coach Kevin Johns as an assistant coach, adding one of college football's most experienced and consistently productive offensive minds to the program.
Johns arrives in Starkville with 28 years of coaching experience and a reputation for elevating offenses quickly and sustainably across multiple FBS programs. He most recently served as quarterbacks coach at Oklahoma State and brings 14 years of experience as an FBS offensive coordinator, 13 of those while also coaching quarterbacks.
Across his career, Johns' offenses have repeatedly ranked among the nation's most productive units. His teams finished inside the national top 25 in scoring offense five times, including a top-10 finish, while also posting seven top-25 national rankings in passing offense and five top-25 finishes in total offense, underscoring consistent production across different conferences and offensive systems.
Johns' offenses have also excelled in situational efficiency. His units ranked inside the national top 25 in third-down offense three times, recorded a top-10 national finish in yards per pass attempt, and produced multiple high-level efficiency seasons in points per possession and plays per point, highlighting an ability to convert drives into points rather than simply accumulate yardage.
Ball security and protection have been defining characteristics of Johns' offenses. His teams finished inside the national top 25 in fewest turnovers lost three times, including a top-five national ranking at Duke in 2022, while also recording conference-leading finishes in sacks allowed twice and additional top-two league finishes. Multiple offenses under Johns ranked first in their conference in categories including passing offense, total offense, scoring offense and turnovers lost.
Prior to Oklahoma State, Johns spent the 2024 season at Oklahoma as co-offensive coordinator and quarterbacks coach. After taking over quarterback duties midway through the season, Oklahoma showed significant improvement over the final five games of the regular season, increasing scoring from 22.1 to 27.4 points per game, total offense from 288.1 to 370.6 yards per game, and rushing production from 112.1 to 214.8 yards per game.
Johns previously served as offensive coordinator and quarterbacks coach at Duke from 2022–23, guiding the Blue Devils to back-to-back bowl victories and coaching quarterback Riley Leonard to All-ACC honors. Duke improved from last in the ACC in scoring offense in 2021 to fifth in 2022, while also making major gains in total offense, passing efficiency and touchdown production.
Before Duke, Johns spent three seasons at Memphis, where the Tigers earned three bowl invitations and consistently ranked among the American Athletic Conference's top offenses. His tenure included multiple All-AAC selections and All-America honors, along with national top-25 finishes in passing offense, total offense and scoring efficiency.
Johns' coaching career also includes offensive coordinator stops at Texas Tech and Western Michigan, as well as six seasons at Indiana, where his offenses set 54 school records and led the Big Ten in scoring offense in 2015. He also held multiple roles at Northwestern, including passing game coordinator and recruiting coordinator, and began his coaching career with stops at Richmond and Piqua High School in Ohio.
As a player, Johns was a three-year letterwinner and two-year starter at the University of Dayton, helping lead the Flyers to a 20-1 record. He earned Division I-AA All-America honors and was named Football Gazette Player of the Year in 1996.
Johns earned his bachelor's degree in mathematics from Dayton and a master's degree in educational administration from Northwestern. He and his wife, Krista, have three sons.
Lebby on Johns
"Kevin Johns is a big-time addition for our program. His résumé speaks for itself — he's been an elite offensive mind for a long time, coordinating explosive, productive offenses and consistently developing talent and generating production. Kevin understands how to evaluate, teach and adapt, and he knows how to turn those traits into results. His experience and offensive acumen will be a major asset for us moving forward."
Johns on coming to Mississippi State
"I'm excited for the opportunity to join Coach Lebby's staff. I've long had a great deal of respect for the Mississippi State program. I'm looking forward to working with the players, investing in their development and contributing to an offense that plays fast, physical and aggressive."Â
Johns Coaching History
2025 – Oklahoma State, Quarterbacks
2024 – Oklahoma, Senior Offensive Analyst/Co-Offensive Coordinator/Quarterbacks
2022-23 – Duke, Offensive Coordinator/Quarterbacks
2019-21 – Memphis, Offensive Coordinator/Quarterbacks
2018 – Texas Tech, Offensive Coordinator/Inside Receivers/Tight Ends
2017 – Western Michigan, Offensive Coordinator/Quarterbacks
2014-16 – Indiana, Offensive Coordinator/Quarterbacks/Wide Receivers
2011-13 – Indiana, Co-Offensive Coordinator/Quarterbacks/Wide Receivers
2008-10 – Northwestern, Passing Game Coordinator/Wide Receivers
2006-07 – Northwestern, Wide Receivers/Recruiting Coordinator
2004-05 – Northwestern, Running Backs
2003 – Richmond, Defensive Ends
2002 – Richmond, Wide Receivers
1999-01 – Northwestern, Graduate Assistant (Offense)
1998 – Piqua High School, Quarterbacks/Defensive Secondary
Johns arrives in Starkville with 28 years of coaching experience and a reputation for elevating offenses quickly and sustainably across multiple FBS programs. He most recently served as quarterbacks coach at Oklahoma State and brings 14 years of experience as an FBS offensive coordinator, 13 of those while also coaching quarterbacks.
Across his career, Johns' offenses have repeatedly ranked among the nation's most productive units. His teams finished inside the national top 25 in scoring offense five times, including a top-10 finish, while also posting seven top-25 national rankings in passing offense and five top-25 finishes in total offense, underscoring consistent production across different conferences and offensive systems.
Johns' offenses have also excelled in situational efficiency. His units ranked inside the national top 25 in third-down offense three times, recorded a top-10 national finish in yards per pass attempt, and produced multiple high-level efficiency seasons in points per possession and plays per point, highlighting an ability to convert drives into points rather than simply accumulate yardage.
Ball security and protection have been defining characteristics of Johns' offenses. His teams finished inside the national top 25 in fewest turnovers lost three times, including a top-five national ranking at Duke in 2022, while also recording conference-leading finishes in sacks allowed twice and additional top-two league finishes. Multiple offenses under Johns ranked first in their conference in categories including passing offense, total offense, scoring offense and turnovers lost.
Prior to Oklahoma State, Johns spent the 2024 season at Oklahoma as co-offensive coordinator and quarterbacks coach. After taking over quarterback duties midway through the season, Oklahoma showed significant improvement over the final five games of the regular season, increasing scoring from 22.1 to 27.4 points per game, total offense from 288.1 to 370.6 yards per game, and rushing production from 112.1 to 214.8 yards per game.
Johns previously served as offensive coordinator and quarterbacks coach at Duke from 2022–23, guiding the Blue Devils to back-to-back bowl victories and coaching quarterback Riley Leonard to All-ACC honors. Duke improved from last in the ACC in scoring offense in 2021 to fifth in 2022, while also making major gains in total offense, passing efficiency and touchdown production.
Before Duke, Johns spent three seasons at Memphis, where the Tigers earned three bowl invitations and consistently ranked among the American Athletic Conference's top offenses. His tenure included multiple All-AAC selections and All-America honors, along with national top-25 finishes in passing offense, total offense and scoring efficiency.
Johns' coaching career also includes offensive coordinator stops at Texas Tech and Western Michigan, as well as six seasons at Indiana, where his offenses set 54 school records and led the Big Ten in scoring offense in 2015. He also held multiple roles at Northwestern, including passing game coordinator and recruiting coordinator, and began his coaching career with stops at Richmond and Piqua High School in Ohio.
As a player, Johns was a three-year letterwinner and two-year starter at the University of Dayton, helping lead the Flyers to a 20-1 record. He earned Division I-AA All-America honors and was named Football Gazette Player of the Year in 1996.
Johns earned his bachelor's degree in mathematics from Dayton and a master's degree in educational administration from Northwestern. He and his wife, Krista, have three sons.
Lebby on Johns
"Kevin Johns is a big-time addition for our program. His résumé speaks for itself — he's been an elite offensive mind for a long time, coordinating explosive, productive offenses and consistently developing talent and generating production. Kevin understands how to evaluate, teach and adapt, and he knows how to turn those traits into results. His experience and offensive acumen will be a major asset for us moving forward."
Johns on coming to Mississippi State
"I'm excited for the opportunity to join Coach Lebby's staff. I've long had a great deal of respect for the Mississippi State program. I'm looking forward to working with the players, investing in their development and contributing to an offense that plays fast, physical and aggressive."Â
Johns Coaching History
2025 – Oklahoma State, Quarterbacks
2024 – Oklahoma, Senior Offensive Analyst/Co-Offensive Coordinator/Quarterbacks
2022-23 – Duke, Offensive Coordinator/Quarterbacks
2019-21 – Memphis, Offensive Coordinator/Quarterbacks
2018 – Texas Tech, Offensive Coordinator/Inside Receivers/Tight Ends
2017 – Western Michigan, Offensive Coordinator/Quarterbacks
2014-16 – Indiana, Offensive Coordinator/Quarterbacks/Wide Receivers
2011-13 – Indiana, Co-Offensive Coordinator/Quarterbacks/Wide Receivers
2008-10 – Northwestern, Passing Game Coordinator/Wide Receivers
2006-07 – Northwestern, Wide Receivers/Recruiting Coordinator
2004-05 – Northwestern, Running Backs
2003 – Richmond, Defensive Ends
2002 – Richmond, Wide Receivers
1999-01 – Northwestern, Graduate Assistant (Offense)
1998 – Piqua High School, Quarterbacks/Defensive Secondary
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