Bruce Johnson - Assistant Coach (Wide Receivers) - Staff Directory

Staff Directory

Bruce Johnson

Title:
Assistant Coach (Wide Receivers)
Email:
Phone:
419-372-7083

Coach Johnson
Hometown	Tempe, Ariz.
College	Arizona State (1999)
Family	Wife, Michelle, three children, Jaidyn, Brayden and Aydin
Coaching History
1998	Desert Vista HS (Ariz.), Wide Receivers/Linebackers
1999	Shadow Mountain HS (Ariz.), Running Backs/Tight Ends
2000	Phoenix College, Running Backs/Tight Ends
2001	San Diego, Running Backs/Tight Ends
2002	Alabama State, Tight Ends
2003	Alabama State, Running Backs
2004-05	Alabama State, Tight Ends/Tackles
2006-09	Jackson State, Special Teams Coordinator/Offensive Line
2010-11	Arkansas at Pine Bluff, Assit. OC/Offensive Line
2012	Ole Miss, Special Teams Quality Control
2013-15	Ole Miss, Assistant Offensive Line
2015-17	Ole Miss, Assistant Tight Ends
2018	Indiana, Assit. AD of on Campus Recruiting
2019-22	Liberty, Running Backs
2023	Indiana, Director of College Scouting
2024	Central Connecticut State, Wide Receivers
2025-pres.	Bowling Green, Wide Receivers

Bruce Johnson joins Eddie George's inaugural BGSU staff as the wide receivers coach. Johnson comes to BGSU after helping lead Central Connecticut State to a Northeast Conference Championship and the FCS playoffs in 2024 as the wide receivers coach.

Johnson boasts 27 years of experience across high school, junior college, FCS, “Group of Five”, and “Power Four” FBS programs. Earlier in 2025 George hired Johnson away to Tennessee State from Central Connecticut State.

In 2023 Johnson spent his second stint at Indiana as the director of college scouting and assisting the defensive staff.

Prior to his one-year stint at Indiana, Johnson spent four years on Hugh Freeze’s staff at Liberty as the running backs coach. During his time at Liberty, the Flames went to four bowls and Johnson helped Liberty record its highest recruiting rankings in program history. He assisted Liberty to a successful 2020 season that saw the Flames finish No. 17 in the Associated Press poll. The Liberty running backs in 2022 averaged 172.9 rushing yards per game, a 4.6 yards per rush average and punched in 19 rushing touchdowns.

Johnson joins Liberty's coaching staff after serving as an Assistant AD/Director of On-Campus Recruiting at Indiana during the 2018 season. Johnson worked for Freeze in a variety of roles while serving on Freeze's football staff at Ole Miss. He worked as a recruiting assistant/special teams quality control assistant (2012), assistant offensive line coach (2013-14), assistant tight ends coach (2015-17), offensive quality control assistant (2013-17), coordinator of recruiting development/academic liaison (2013-15) and senior player personnel analyst (2015-17). Johnson helped the Rebels have a top 10 nationally ranked recruiting class for three-straight seasons (2013-15). Ole Miss had 25 players earn SEC Academic Honor Roll accolades and 121 players graduated during his time on staff in Oxford, Miss. Under Freeze's leadership, Johnson helped Ole Miss to bowl games from 2012-15, including back-to-back New Year's Six bowl games. The span included victories in the BBVA Compass, Music City and Sugar Bowl games.

Johnson spent over a decade preparing for his time at Ole Miss, starting with working on coaching staffs at Desert Vista High School (1998), Shadow Mountain High School (1999) and Phoenix College (2000).

After serving as running backs and tight ends coach at San Diego in 2001, Johnson spent four seasons on staff at Alabama State. He worked with the tight ends and tackles in 2002, running backs in 2003 and tight ends and tackles in 2004-05, while serving as assistant recruiting coordinator his last three years in Montgomery, Ala. Johnson's final two stops before joining Freeze at Ole Miss were at Jackson State and Arkansas – Pine Bluff. He served as special teams coordinator and offensive line coach at Jackson State from 2006-09, before working as assistant offensive coordinator and offensive line coach at Arkansas – Pine Bluff in 2010 and 2011.

Johnson played fullback at Arizona (1995-96) and Norfolk State (1997), while earning his bachelor's degree from Arizona State in 1999.

He and his wife, Michelle, have three children: Jaidyn, Brayden and Aydin.