J.D. Johnson is in his third season as the Mark Vaught Director of Football Operations. Johnson worked with the Vandals in 2018 in a quality control role. He has more than 20 years of experience at the collegiate level, including four years as the head coach at Feather River College.
Johnson is responsible for the day-to-day operations of the football program, including travel, meals, camps and community engagement. He also assists with coordinating recruiting efforts.
"When you're a head coach at a junior college or a small college you have to do everything yourself," said head coach Paul Petrino. "So he really understands what operations is all about. He's done all of that. He will bring a lot of knowledge and wisdom to us in that area. He also brings us as a lot of connections throughout the state of California."
After wrapping up his playing career and completing his bachelor's degree at Northern Colorado in 1997, Johnson began his coaching career immediately. He spent time on staff at Nichols College, Loras College, Colorado State, Southern Oregon and Wisconsin Stout before arriving at Feather River in 2009 as the assistant head coach. He took over as head coach the following year before moving on to professional football.
Johnson was an assistant coach for the Boston Brawlers of the Fall Experimental Football League during the league's inaugural season in 2014. The following year he was the head coach for the FXFL's Florida Blacktips.
A two-year stint in Bend, Ore., included high school coaching and consulting before he joined the Idaho staff in 2018 to assist with practice preparation and analysis for game plans.
