Paul Johnson ( American football coach ) Paul Johnson ( born August 20 , 1957 ) is an American football coach . He is currently the head coach at the Georgia Institute of Technology , a position he has held since the 2008 season . Previously , Johnson served as the head coach at Georgia Southern University from 1997 to 2001 and at the United States Naval Academy from 2002 to 2007 . Johnson ' s Georgia Southern Eagles won consecutive NCAA Division I - AA Football Championships in 1999 and 2000 . He is noted for his use of the triple option style of offense . Early life and education . Johnson earned his Bachelor of Science in physical education from Western Carolina University in 1979 , where he was a member of the Kappa Alpha Order . He did not play college football . He also earned a Master of Science in health and physical education from Appalachian State University in 1982 . Johnson was initially an assistant football coach at Avery County High School in Newland , North Carolina before starting his college career at Georgia Southern University in 1983 , where he served as offensive coordinator for consecutive NCAA Division I - AA National Football Championships teams in 1985 and 1986 . From 1983 - 1986 they would win 40 games and score 619 points in 15 games in 1986 . Those teams were led by QB Tracy Ham who would go on to be a successful QB in the Canadian Football League . He then spent eight seasons as offensive coordinator at the University of Hawaii at Manoa from 1987 to 1994 . Their offense averaged 372 points scored per season during his 8 years there and won 54 games . While at Hawaii he would coach future collegiate head coach Ken Niumatalolo . In 1992 they would finish with their best record in school history at 11 - 2 , including a win in the Holiday Bowl over the University of Illinois . They would also win the Western Athletic Conference title that season . In 1995 and 1996 , he served as the offensive coordinator at the United States Naval Academy and brought his option offense with him . In 1996 , Navy recorded its first winning season in 14 years , going 9 – 3 with a victory in the Aloha Bowl . Their 9 - 3 record was the best since 1978 and their 392 points scored were the most in school history up to that point . Johnson began his head coaching career by returning to Georgia Southern , which he led from 1997 through 2001 . During his tenure , the Eagles captured the Division I - AA National Championship twice more in 1999 and 2000 , and finished as runners - up in 1998 . During his tenure as HC they finished with a record of 62 - 10 ( 86 . 1 % winning rate ) . He was also instrumental in developing RB Adrian Peterson who would go on to be drafted by the Chicago Bears . Johnson is one of only four coaches to record 50 wins in their first four seasons as head coach at the Division I level . Navy . In 2002 , Johnson departed Georgia Southern and returned to Navy as head coach . Johnson ' s initial season saw the Midshipmen win only 2 of 12 contests , though the season ended on a high note with his first victory over Army . Subsequently , Johnson ' s teams enjoyed a high degree of success . The 2003 team completed the regular season with an 8 – 4 mark , including wins over both Air Force and Army , and earned a berth in the Houston Bowl , Navy ' s first bowl game since 1996 . However , the Midshipmen lost to Texas Tech , 38 – 14 . In 2004 , Johnson ' s team posted the program ' s best record since 1957 , finishing the regular season at 9 – 2 and once again earning a bowl berth , this time in the Emerald Bowl . There Johnson coached the Midshipmen to a win over New Mexico , 34 – 19 , the fifth bowl win in the school ' s history . The win gave Navy 10 wins on the season , tying a school record that had stood since 1905 . For his efforts , Johnson received the Bobby Dodd Coach of the Year Award . The 2005 Navy squad recorded a mark of 8 – 4 , highlighted by victories over Army , Air Force , and Colorado State in the inaugural Poinsettia Bowl . In 2007 , Johnson coached the Midshipmen to their first win over rival Notre Dame since 1963 , winning 46 – 44 in triple - overtime . Johnson dominated the Commander - in - Chief ' s Trophy competition , going 11 – 1 ( . 917 ) in his six years , with the only loss against another service academy coming at the hands of Air Force in his first season . He is the only coach in Navy ' s history to go 6 – 0 in his first six seasons against Army , and his 2006 senior class was the first in Navy history to win the Commander - in - Chief ' s Trophy all four of their years . Much of Johnson ' s success was predicated on his triple option flexbone offense , a run - oriented attack that led NCAA Division I - A / FBS football in rushing yards three of his last four years at Navy . Some have criticized the triple option as an antiquated , unbalanced system unfit for major college football , which may have explained the reluctance of some top programs to offer him a position despite his accomplishments at both Georgia Southern and Navy . Johnson rebutted this argument in numerous press conferences and interviews , asserting that several top teams , including 2005 national champion Texas and 2006 national champion Florida , used various forms of the option . In 2008 , Johnson told ESPN ' s Mark Schlabach , " If we can run it against Boston College at Navy , why can ' t we run it against Boston College at Georgia Tech ? If we can beat Pitt with this system at Navy , why can ' t we beat Pitt at Georgia Tech ? Are we going to get worse players at Georgia Tech ? " Georgia Tech . On December 7 , 2007 , Johnson accepted the head coaching job at the Georgia Institute of Technology . Johnson , who came to Georgia Tech in December after a six - year tenure at Navy , inherited a young roster with reduced numbers because of an NCAA probation . Only 76 players were on scholarship , below the maximum of 85 , including three senior walk - ons who were awarded scholarships prior to the start of the season . The roster included 75 freshmen and sophomores ; 16 of 22 starters were underclassmen . " Sports Illustrated " predicted Johnson ' s first Yellow Jacket team would win three games and finish fourth in the Atlantic Coast Conference ' s Coastal Division . In 2008 , Johnson led the Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets to a 9 – 4 record . Georgia Tech was 6 – 1 at home in games played at Bobby Dodd Stadium and 4 – 2 against ranked opponents , including three wins in November against Florida State , Miami , and Georgia . Georgia Tech , ranked 14th in the BCS standings and 15th in the AP Poll , finished the regular season with a 9 – 3 record . Though they tied for first place in their division with a 5 – 3 conference record , the Yellow Jackets failed to advance to the ACC Championship Game by virtue of an early - season loss to eventual ACC champion , Virginia Tech . Georgia Tech accepted a bid to the Chick - Fil - A Bowl , where they were defeated by LSU , 38 – 3 . Johnson ' s 2008 Georgia Tech team featured one first - team All - American ( Michael Johnson ) , the ACC Player of the Year ( Jonathan Dwyer ) , and eight first team , second team , and honorable mention All - ACC selections . On December 2 , 2008 , Johnson was tabbed as ACC Coach of the Year by the Atlantic Coast Sports Media Association ( ACSMA ) . He said , " This is an honor for the football program at Georgia Tech , the coaching staff and the players . There are a lot of great coaches in the ACC , so it ' s humbling to win such a prestigious honor . " Johnson was also named 2008 National Coach of the year by CBSSports . com on the same day . In 2009 , Johnson led the Yellow Jackets to an 11 – 3 record , including the school ' s first win at Florida State in school history , and a victory over # 4 Virginia Tech in Atlanta , which broke a 17 - game home losing streak to top five opponents , and the program ' s first win over Virginia in Charlottesville since 1990 . After a defeat at the hands of Miami in the third week of the season , Georgia Tech won its next eight games , rising as high as # 7 in the AP Poll , before losing to unranked rival Georgia in Atlanta to end the regular season . Georgia Tech finished a league - best 7 – 1 in ACC play and defeated Clemson in the ACC Championship Game for the school ' s first outright conference championship since 1990 . This current title has been vacated by the NCAA for rules violations , but Georgia Tech has filed an appeal , which is still on - going . Following the end of the regular season , Johnson received ACC Coach of the Year honors for the second consecutive year , becoming the only Georgia Tech head coach in history to win the award in his first two seasons . The Yellow Jackets were paired in the Orange Bowl with the 10th ranked Iowa Hawkeyes . Iowa beat Georgia Tech 24 – 14 , sending Johnson to 0 – 2 in bowls at Georgia Tech . In 2010 , Georgia Tech started the season ranked 16th in the AP Poll . However , the team suffered a number of high profile injuries including to starting quarterback Joshua Nesbitt . The team finished the regular season 6 – 6 and lost in the Independence Bowl to Air Force 14 – 7 . In 2011 , Johnson has led to the team to its first 6 – 0 start since 1966 and set a number of school offensive records in the team ' s 66 – 24 blowout of Kansas . Johnson proceeded to lose two consecutive games to Virginia and Miami before defeating then # 5 Clemson 31 – 17 . The team finished the regular season with an 8 – 5 record ; after losing to Utah in the Sun Bowl on December 31 , 2011 . In 2012 , Johnson ' s Yellow Jackets got off to a slow start at 3 - 5 , when then Defensive Coordinator Al Groh was terminated by Johnson . With Charles Kelly coaching the defense thereafter , Georgia Tech won its next three games , and clinched a spot in the 2012 Dr . Pepper ACC Championship game in Charlotte , N . C . Though the Jackets were defeated by Florida State 21 - 15 , the Tech Defense shut out the Seminoles in the second half . GT capped off the season with a 21 - 7 win over the preseason # 1 team in the country , Southern California , in the Hyundai Sun Bowl in El Paso , Texas .