Shannon Johnson has served as Averett's offensive coordinator and quarterbacks coach since February 2014.
Under the guidance of Johnson, Averett's offense thrived in 2015 as the Cougars set many single-season program records on offense, including most yards of total offense per game, most passing yards per game and highest passing efficiency. Averett also finished with its second-highest single-season totals in total offense and passing yards — both of which would have easily been program records had the Cougars not had a game canceled during the season. Individually, Johnson's coaching helped one quarterback set the program's single-season mark for passing yards (2,047) and total offense (2,257) despite only playing nine games in 2015.
Prior to Averett, Johnson served as an assistant coach at Emory & Henry College for five years. At Emory & Henry, Johnson was the passing game coordinator and quarterbacks coach. Under his tutelage, the Wasps passed for 255 yards per game with a completion percentage of 66 percent and 21 touchdowns for the season.
Johnson, a 2003 graduate of Emory & Henry, returned to his alma mater as an assistant coach in 2009. From 2009 to 2011, he coached wide receivers and was the special teams coordinator. In 2012, he continued to serve as the special teams coordinator while coaching Emory & Henry’s running backs. During that time, he had an all-conference specialist every year and coached two all-conference receivers and one all-conference running back. Last season, after a promotion to passing game coordinator and quarterbacks coach, he guided the Wasps’ starting quarterback to an all-conference performance.
Prior to joining the coaching staff at Emory & Henry, Johnson was an assistant at Christopher Newport University, Hampden-Sydney College and Slippery Rock University. Johnson also coached at the high school level at Buckingham County High School and his alma mater, Alleghany High School.
Johnson had a stellar playing career at Emory & Henry, where he was a four-year letter-winner at quarterback from 1999 to 2002. Johnson was a member of the school’s most recent Old Dominion Athletic Conference championship and NCAA playoff team in 2000. He accumulated 6,603 yards of total offense and 44 touchdowns for his career and twice was named an All-ODAC performer. Johnson still ranks fourth in most passing yards in a game (378 vs. Guilford, 2000) and is fifth in passing yards in a season (2,013 in 2000).
A native of Iron Gate, Va., Johnson and his wife Cassie have three children, Seraiye, Xavier and Asa.
