After just two months at UCF, cornerbacks coach Will Johnson has departed to accept a defensive assistant role with the NFL’s Minnesota Vikings. The Vikings announced the move earlier today.
Johnson joined UCF after spending the previous two seasons coaching cornerbacks at North Dakota State. Before that, he worked four seasons as a graduate assistant under UCF defensive coordinator Alex Grinch at Oklahoma (2020-21) and USC (2022-23).
“I don’t think UCF should ever be afraid to find coaches that are kind of up-and-comers,” head coach Scott Frost said in January. “I’ve heard that from a lot of people about Will, and I can see why since he’s been here. He’s going to do a great job for us in the defensive secondary.”
Johnson’s short stint at UCF still included a notable connection during transfer portal recruiting, as the Knights signed one of his former North Dakota State players in cornerback Jailen Duffie. Duffie earned All-MVFC Second Team honors after starting 12 games for the Bison last season and was part of NDSU’s national championship team the year before.
Frost will now turn his attention to filling the vacancy. One possible option could be Travis Fisher, a former defensive backs coach at Syracuse, Nebraska and UCF who is currently on staff as a senior defensive analyst.
UCF is set to open spring practice in late March.
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