UCF defensive backs coach Will Johnson will leave for an NFL coaching opportunity after less than two months in Orlando.
First reported by Matt Zenitz of CBS Sports, the Minnesota Vikings are set to hire Johnson as a member of their defensive coaching staff. Knights247 can confirm the impending move. Johnson was hired by UCF in December of 2025.
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Johnson joined Scott Frost's staff to replace Brandon Harris, who was recently hired by the University of Florida after helping the Knights' secondary rank No. 25 nationally in passing defense and No. 3 in the Big 12 Conference.
"Lost Brandon Harris in the offseason, to another opportunity and really excited to get Will [Johnson]," Frost added. "You know, I don't think UCF should ever be afraid to find coaches that are kind of up-and-comers. And 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."
Frost and company will now be tasked with finding another defensive backs coach to replace Johnson ahead of spring practices. UCF finished the season 5-7 in 2025 in Frost's first year back in Orlando.
UCF would have been Johnson's first full-time FBS coaching job. Johnson recently spent the last two seasons as the cornerbacks coach at North Dakota State, including the Bison's 2024 FCS national championship. In 2025, NDSU allowed 148.4 yards through the air per game, ranking third in the FCS in that category. Cornerback Jailen Duffie was a Second-Team All-Missouri Valley Football Conference selection with 15 tackles, a tackle for loss, two pass deflections, and a forced fumble.
Prior to NDSU, Johnson spent four seasons as a graduate assistant under Lincoln Riley - two at Oklahoma and two at USC. In his two seasons at USC, Johnson worked alongside current Knights defensive coordinator Alex Grinch.
Johnson himself is a former standout defensive back, playing his college ball at Oklahoma from 2015 to 2017, before attempting an NFL career with the New York Jets and Philadelphia Eagles. Johnson finished his Oklahoma career with 120 total tackles, 5.5 tackles for loss, and two interceptions. He also broke up eight passes, with a forced fumble and a fumble recovery.
Johnson joins a Minnesota Vikings squad that finished the regular season with a record of 9-8 and missed the playoffs. Minnesota allowed the second-fewest passing yards in the NFL last season with 3021, plus an average of 6.8 yards per pass attempt. The Vikings also allowed the fewest receiving first downs in the league (132) and the fewest completions of 20 yards or more (32).
Knights247's Joe Londergan and Andrew Cherico contributed to this report.
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