Johnson, native to New Orleans, spent his time as a receiving coach at the New Orleans Saints before coming to Tulane to take on his first head coach position. His first year with the Wave, Tulane finished 2-11. The following year, Johnson and Tulane bounced back to a 7-6 season finish. The Wave spent the last two years in the American Athletic Conference, finishing at a subpar 3-9 both years.
"He's a great coach," senior safety Darion Monroe said. "I think he did a great job here. He did a great job recruiting. We kept a lot of guys in state.