Oklahoma State University Athletics
Cowboy Football
Johns, Kevin
Kevin Johns
- Title:
- Quarterbacks
Johns arrives in Stillwater with 27 years of coaching experience after most recently serving as Oklahoma’s co-offensive coordinator and quarterback coach in 2024. He has 14 years of experience as an FBS offensive coordinator, with 13 of them also spent coaching quarterbacks.
In his lone season at Oklahoma in 2024, Johns took over as quarterbacks coach after seven games and produced notable improvement in the final five games of the regular season. The per game averages from the first seven games to the five with him as co-offensive coordinator and quarterbacks coach improved in scoring (22.1 to 27.4), total offense (288.1 to 370.6) and rushing yards (112.1 to 214.8).
Prior to that, he served as Duke’s offensive coordinator and quarterback coach for the 2022 and 2023 seasons.
Johns coached Duke quarterback Riley Leonard to All-ACC honors during his first season in Durham. Leonard completed 250-of-392 (.638) passes for 2,967 yards with 20 touchdowns, while leading the team in rushing with 699 yards on 124 carries (5.64) and 13 touchdowns during his first season as Duke’s starter. In the ACC, Leonard ranked third in total offensive yards per game (282.00), third in pass attempts, third in pass completions, third in total points responsible for, tied for third in scoring, fourth in pass completion percentage, fourth in passing yards per game (228.23), fifth in touchdowns passes, and fifth in passing efficiency. In addition, he set school single-season records for touchdowns responsible for (33), most games with at least one touchdown pass (12), touchdown-to-interception ratio (3.33-1), and pass completion-to-interception ratio (41.67-1).
In just one season under Johns, the Blue Devils went from last in the ACC in 2021 to fifth, fifth, and seventh in scoring offense, total touchdowns and passing touchdowns, respectively. In addition, Duke improved in pass efficiency (11th in 2021 to fifth in 2022) and total offense (seventh in 2021 to fourth in 2022).
In his two seasons at Duke, the Blue Devils earned two bowl invitations. They defeated UCF, 30-13, in the 2022 Military Bowl to finish the season at 9-4 and followed that by defeating Troy, 17-10, in the Birmingham Bowl to finish the 2023 season at 8-5.
Johns came to Durham after serving three seasons as the offensive coordinator and quarterbacks coach at Memphis.
While there, Johns helped the Tigers earn three bowl invitations, including a 25-10 win over Florida Atlantic in the 2020 Montgomery Bowl. During each of his three seasons, Memphis was among the top five in the American Athletic Conference in scoring offense, including averaging 30.1 points in his last season. The Tigers also finished that year second in the AAC in passing offense (298.8), third in offensive yards (435.8), third in first downs (22.5) and third in third down conversion percentage (71-of-174 for 40.8%).
In 2020, the Tigers finished 22nd in the nation in total offense (453.1) and ranked 17th in both passing offense (307.9) and first down offense (260). Memphis totaled five games with over 500 yards of total offense, including an impressive 703 total yards against UCF. During that game, the Tigers set a school-record, coming back from a 17-point deficit in the third quarter to earn the 50-49 win. The 703 total yards of offense were the fifth-most in Memphis history.
In his first season at Memphis, the Tigers ranked among the top 20 nationally in nine statistical categories: passing yards (7th), scoring offense (8th), passing yards/completion (9th), total offense (10th), first downs (10th), passing efficiency (10th), passing offense (17th), passing touchdowns (17th) and third down percentage (19th). The Tigers accumulated more than 500 yards of total offense seven times on the year, including 542 yards against Penn State in the Cotton Bowl. That season, Johns mentored a 4,000-yard passer (Brady White), a 1,000-yard rusher (Kenneth Gainwell) and a 1,000-yard receiver (Damonte Coxie).
In his three years at Memphis, Johns coached nine players to 12 All-AAC honors, including two-time recipients in Calvin Austin III, Sean Dykes and Dylan Parham. He also mentored Gainwell and Tahj Washington to All-American accolades. Gainwell garnered FWAA-Shaun Alexander, AFCA, and Sporting News Freshman All-America nods in 2019, while being tabbed the FWAA and The American Athletic Conference Freshman of the Year. Washington earned FWAA Freshman All-America praise in 2020 after recording 43 receptions for 743 yards (17.3 avg) with six touchdowns.
Before Memphis, Johns spent the 2018 season as the offensive coordinator/inside wide receivers and tight ends coach at Texas Tech. He guided a Red Raider offense that ranked fourth in the country with 352.6 passing yards per game and 12th with 485.2 total yards per game. Texas Tech also averaged 37.3 points per game that season, which was the fourth-best mark in the Big 12.
Prior to that, Johns served a one-year stint as the offensive coordinator/quarterbacks coach at Western Michigan in 2017. The Broncos ranked 25th in the country that year with 33.9 points per game and 21st with 224.8 rushing yards per game.
From 2011-16, Johns spent six years at Indiana, including the final three as the program’s sole offensive coordinator. He also assisted with coaching the quarterbacks and wide receivers after arriving as a co-offensive coordinator in 2011. The Hoosiers set 54 school records during Johns’ time there, including season marks for points, total yards, passing yards and rushing yards.
In 2015, Indiana had a 3,500-yard passer, two 1,000-yard rushers and a 1,000-yard receiver, en route to leading the Big Ten in scoring offense at 36.5 points per game. Two years prior, Indiana had five 1,000-yard receivers playing at the same time. One of them was Cody Latimer, who was one of eight NFL draftees during Johns’ time in Bloomington. Another one was Shane Wynn, who closed his career among the top four in multiple career categories at Indiana before joining the Jacksonville Jaguars.
Johns served his second stint on staff at Northwestern from 2004-10 in a variety of different roles after a three-year tenure from 1999-2001 as an offensive graduate assistant. During his second term, he joined the staff as an assistant coach with the running backs from 2004-05 before beginning work with the wide receivers and serving as the program’s recruiting coordinator for the 2006-07 seasons. He then added passing game coordinator duties in 2008 and served in that role for three seasons until his departure.
He also made stops at Richmond, where he coached the defensive ends (2003) and wide receivers (2002), and Piqua High School in Ohio as the quarterbacks and defensive secondary coach (1998).
Johns was a three-year letterwinner and two-year starter at the University of Dayton (1995-97), where he helped the Flyers to a 20-1 record. He earned Division I-AA All-America honors and was selected the Football Gazette Player of the Year in 1996. In addition, he was a two-time first team All-Pioneer Football League team recipient in 1996 and 1997. He graduated first all-time on Dayton’s career total offensive yardage chart with 4,252, first in highest passing efficiency (151.1), and third in career passing yards (3,572).
He graduated from Dayton with a bachelor’s degree in mathematics in 1998 and received his master’s degree from Northwestern in educational administration in 2001.
Johns is married to the former Krista Tilley of St. Louis Missouri, and they are the parents of three sons, twins Logan and Tyler, and Carter. Logan has worked as a student manager with the football program at Tennessee, while Tyler is a member of the baseball program at Elon.
In his lone season at Oklahoma in 2024, Johns took over as quarterbacks coach after seven games and produced notable improvement in the final five games of the regular season. The per game averages from the first seven games to the five with him as co-offensive coordinator and quarterbacks coach improved in scoring (22.1 to 27.4), total offense (288.1 to 370.6) and rushing yards (112.1 to 214.8).
Prior to that, he served as Duke’s offensive coordinator and quarterback coach for the 2022 and 2023 seasons.
Johns coached Duke quarterback Riley Leonard to All-ACC honors during his first season in Durham. Leonard completed 250-of-392 (.638) passes for 2,967 yards with 20 touchdowns, while leading the team in rushing with 699 yards on 124 carries (5.64) and 13 touchdowns during his first season as Duke’s starter. In the ACC, Leonard ranked third in total offensive yards per game (282.00), third in pass attempts, third in pass completions, third in total points responsible for, tied for third in scoring, fourth in pass completion percentage, fourth in passing yards per game (228.23), fifth in touchdowns passes, and fifth in passing efficiency. In addition, he set school single-season records for touchdowns responsible for (33), most games with at least one touchdown pass (12), touchdown-to-interception ratio (3.33-1), and pass completion-to-interception ratio (41.67-1).
In just one season under Johns, the Blue Devils went from last in the ACC in 2021 to fifth, fifth, and seventh in scoring offense, total touchdowns and passing touchdowns, respectively. In addition, Duke improved in pass efficiency (11th in 2021 to fifth in 2022) and total offense (seventh in 2021 to fourth in 2022).
In his two seasons at Duke, the Blue Devils earned two bowl invitations. They defeated UCF, 30-13, in the 2022 Military Bowl to finish the season at 9-4 and followed that by defeating Troy, 17-10, in the Birmingham Bowl to finish the 2023 season at 8-5.
Johns came to Durham after serving three seasons as the offensive coordinator and quarterbacks coach at Memphis.
While there, Johns helped the Tigers earn three bowl invitations, including a 25-10 win over Florida Atlantic in the 2020 Montgomery Bowl. During each of his three seasons, Memphis was among the top five in the American Athletic Conference in scoring offense, including averaging 30.1 points in his last season. The Tigers also finished that year second in the AAC in passing offense (298.8), third in offensive yards (435.8), third in first downs (22.5) and third in third down conversion percentage (71-of-174 for 40.8%).
In 2020, the Tigers finished 22nd in the nation in total offense (453.1) and ranked 17th in both passing offense (307.9) and first down offense (260). Memphis totaled five games with over 500 yards of total offense, including an impressive 703 total yards against UCF. During that game, the Tigers set a school-record, coming back from a 17-point deficit in the third quarter to earn the 50-49 win. The 703 total yards of offense were the fifth-most in Memphis history.
In his first season at Memphis, the Tigers ranked among the top 20 nationally in nine statistical categories: passing yards (7th), scoring offense (8th), passing yards/completion (9th), total offense (10th), first downs (10th), passing efficiency (10th), passing offense (17th), passing touchdowns (17th) and third down percentage (19th). The Tigers accumulated more than 500 yards of total offense seven times on the year, including 542 yards against Penn State in the Cotton Bowl. That season, Johns mentored a 4,000-yard passer (Brady White), a 1,000-yard rusher (Kenneth Gainwell) and a 1,000-yard receiver (Damonte Coxie).
In his three years at Memphis, Johns coached nine players to 12 All-AAC honors, including two-time recipients in Calvin Austin III, Sean Dykes and Dylan Parham. He also mentored Gainwell and Tahj Washington to All-American accolades. Gainwell garnered FWAA-Shaun Alexander, AFCA, and Sporting News Freshman All-America nods in 2019, while being tabbed the FWAA and The American Athletic Conference Freshman of the Year. Washington earned FWAA Freshman All-America praise in 2020 after recording 43 receptions for 743 yards (17.3 avg) with six touchdowns.
Before Memphis, Johns spent the 2018 season as the offensive coordinator/inside wide receivers and tight ends coach at Texas Tech. He guided a Red Raider offense that ranked fourth in the country with 352.6 passing yards per game and 12th with 485.2 total yards per game. Texas Tech also averaged 37.3 points per game that season, which was the fourth-best mark in the Big 12.
Prior to that, Johns served a one-year stint as the offensive coordinator/quarterbacks coach at Western Michigan in 2017. The Broncos ranked 25th in the country that year with 33.9 points per game and 21st with 224.8 rushing yards per game.
From 2011-16, Johns spent six years at Indiana, including the final three as the program’s sole offensive coordinator. He also assisted with coaching the quarterbacks and wide receivers after arriving as a co-offensive coordinator in 2011. The Hoosiers set 54 school records during Johns’ time there, including season marks for points, total yards, passing yards and rushing yards.
In 2015, Indiana had a 3,500-yard passer, two 1,000-yard rushers and a 1,000-yard receiver, en route to leading the Big Ten in scoring offense at 36.5 points per game. Two years prior, Indiana had five 1,000-yard receivers playing at the same time. One of them was Cody Latimer, who was one of eight NFL draftees during Johns’ time in Bloomington. Another one was Shane Wynn, who closed his career among the top four in multiple career categories at Indiana before joining the Jacksonville Jaguars.
Johns served his second stint on staff at Northwestern from 2004-10 in a variety of different roles after a three-year tenure from 1999-2001 as an offensive graduate assistant. During his second term, he joined the staff as an assistant coach with the running backs from 2004-05 before beginning work with the wide receivers and serving as the program’s recruiting coordinator for the 2006-07 seasons. He then added passing game coordinator duties in 2008 and served in that role for three seasons until his departure.
He also made stops at Richmond, where he coached the defensive ends (2003) and wide receivers (2002), and Piqua High School in Ohio as the quarterbacks and defensive secondary coach (1998).
Johns was a three-year letterwinner and two-year starter at the University of Dayton (1995-97), where he helped the Flyers to a 20-1 record. He earned Division I-AA All-America honors and was selected the Football Gazette Player of the Year in 1996. In addition, he was a two-time first team All-Pioneer Football League team recipient in 1996 and 1997. He graduated first all-time on Dayton’s career total offensive yardage chart with 4,252, first in highest passing efficiency (151.1), and third in career passing yards (3,572).
He graduated from Dayton with a bachelor’s degree in mathematics in 1998 and received his master’s degree from Northwestern in educational administration in 2001.
Johns is married to the former Krista Tilley of St. Louis Missouri, and they are the parents of three sons, twins Logan and Tyler, and Carter. Logan has worked as a student manager with the football program at Tennessee, while Tyler is a member of the baseball program at Elon.
| Year-By-Year | ||
| 1998 | Piqua High School | Quarterbacks/Defensive Secondary |
| 1999-01 | Northwestern | Graduate Assistant - Offense |
| 2002 | Richmond | Wide Receivers |
| 2003 | Richmond | Defensive Ends |
| 2004-05 | Northwestern | Running Backs |
| 2006-07 | Northwestern | Wide Receivers/Recruiting Coordinator |
| 2008-10 | Northwestern | Passing Game Coordinator/Wide Receivers |
| 2011-13 | Indiana | Co-Offensive Coordinator/QBs/WRs |
| 2014-16 | Indiana | Offensive Coordinator/QBs/WRs |
| 2017 | Western Michigan | Offensive Coordinator/Quarterbacks |
| 2018 | Texas Tech | Offensive Coordinator/Inside Receivers/Tight Ends |
| 2019-21 | Memphis | Offensive Coordinator/Quarterbacks |
| 2022-23 | Duke | Offensive Coordinator/Quarterbacks |
| 2024 | Oklahoma | Senior Off. Analyst/Co-Offensive Coordinator/QBs |
| 2025 | Oklahoma State | Quarterbacks |
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