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Former Utah QB Brian Johnson Interviews For Boise State Vacancy

According to a report by Boise State beat writer B.J. Rains of The Idaho Press, former Utah QB and current Florida offensive coordinator Brian Johnson has interviewed for the Boise State head coach opening

Ryan Kostecka

Brian Johnson has been breaking down barriers ever since stepping onto a football field.

Back in 2003 when he was a high school senior, Dan Mullen recruited Johnson to the University of Utah as a quarterback. Eventually Johnson committed to the Utes and underwent an injury-filled career that ended five years later with his as the MVP of the Sugar Bowl in 2008 after leading the Utes to a perfect 13-0 record.

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Brian Johnson

Johnson, 33, then reunited with Mullen at Mississippi State where the latter was the head coach, joining his staff as a quarterbacks coach from 2014-16.

After a brief hiatus away from one another, Johnson is once again with Mullen, this time at Florida. Mullen promoted Johnson from quarterbacks coach of the Gators to offensive coordinator for the team for the upcoming season.

"It’s really exciting," Johnson told the media after his promotion. "We have great players here and a great coaching staff. I’m excited to get that opportunity and help our team go out there and perform at a really high level.”

Now Johnson's status with Florida may be up in the air after reports have surfaced that he has interviewed for Boise State head coaching vacancy.

According to a report by Boise State beat writer B.J. Rains of The Idaho Press, the former Utah quarterback  interviewed for the Boise State head coach opening on Tuesday afternoon.

The interview comes as no surprise as Johnson previously interviewed for the South Carolina opening last December, and according to sources came off as extremely knowledgable and impressive.

"I think at the end of the day when you get in this profession and you do a good job, you do a good job, people notice," Johnson said following the South Carolina interview. "And you get opportunities. It was good to get those reps, but I’m really looking forward to what we have going on here."

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Johnson's promotion to Florida's offensive coordinator this past season signified a bigger change within the Gators program. He is the first African-American coach in program history ever to be named offensive coordinator — and now just the seventh black OC in the nation for an FBS-level program.

“I didn’t realize that. If that is the case, it’s obviously something to be very, very proud of," Johnson said. "Coaching the quarterbacks is obviously a big deal, especially here at a place like the University of Florida, where they have a very rich tradition of elite quarterback play and there’s three statues downstairs that prove that. It does make you proud, if that is the case."

That promotion to offensive coordinator puts Johnson's name on a fast track to be a head coach one day, ramping up the process even more following the success of the Gators offense and quarterback Kyle Trask, a Heisman trophy finalist.

“He knows the ability to advance in this profession,” Johnson said of Mullen. "Being a quarterbacks coach is a pipeline to that and it’s something that’s his specialty and he’s done a good job helping me throughout the course of my career and helping me develop as a coach each and every day.”

Johnson began his coaching career in 2010 as the quarterbacks coach for Utah under Kyle Whittingham. It was short-lived as he was quickly promoted to offensive coordinator in 2012 at the young age of 24.

He then made a change and went with Mullen to Mississippi State for three years before leaving to take over as offensive coordinator at Houston. He then returned to Mullen, this time at Florida, to be quarterbacks coach in 2018 before taking over in his new role.

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Ryan Kostecka
RYAN KOSTECKA

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