Jeff Lebby continues to strengthen his coaching staff at Mississippi State. On Sunday the program announced the hiring of Kevin Johns as an offensive assistant for the Bulldogs. Johns has spent the last decade plus as one of the better and most consistent offensive minds in college football.
Welcome to Starkville, @kjfbcoach!
— Mississippi State Football (@HailStateFB) December 28, 2025
Nationally regarded as one of the game's elite offensive minds, Kevin Johns brings nearly three decades of experience and a proven track record of success to @Coach_Leb's staff. pic.twitter.com/eKxNOZsklH
Kevin Johns comes to Starkville after a one year stint as the QBs coach for Oklahoma State. In 2024, he worked as a senior analyst at Oklahoma. Prior to the last two years coaching in "The Sooner State", Johns had spent 13 seasons as an offensive coordinator at the FBS level.
He served as Mike Elko's OC at Duke in 2022 and 2023, taking the Blue Devils from the ACC's worst scoring offense to the league's fifth-best in his first year and developing a future pro at QB in Riley Leonard. From 2019 through 2021, Johns was the OC at Memphis, where he coached a consistently strong unit and did great work with QBs Brady White and Seth Hennigan.
Kevin Johns saw other stops as an OC at Texas Tech (2018), Western Michigan (2017), and Indiana (2011-2016). Along the way, his offenses were consistently effective and productive. Throughout his coaching career, he's also had hefty experience with coaching quarterbacks and wide receivers.
Kevin Johns gives Mississippi State another impressive offensive mind in its coaching staff
This is a great hire for Jeff Lebby. Johns is an outstanding offensive coach with a proven track record who has ties to a variety of offensive philosophies including the Power Spread, Air Raid, and the Veer and Shoot. He's had both prolific passing and rushing attacks and has had success with both pocket passers and dual threats at QB.
As was the case with the hire of Bush Hamden, bringing in Johns gives Jeff Lebby another smart coach to bounce ideas off of in the meeting rooms and delegate to. And the fact he's been introduced to some of Lebby's system from his one year at Oklahoma is an added bonus.
It's not yet known what Kevin Johns actual role will be in the offense. State's offensive coaching staff is not yet set, as a WRs coach has yet to be hired, and there may be some more shuffling to come. But regardless of his position, he's a fantastic pick-up.