Colorado State University Athletics

Luke Johnson Hire

Luke Johnson Named Defensive Line Coach

8/4/2025 11:58:00 AM | Football

Johnson joins the staff after spending the previous season at Baylor

FORT COLLINS – Luke Johnson has joined the Colorado State Football program as the defensive line coach after spending the previous season at Baylor as a defensive graduate assistant.
 
"I'm really excited to announce Luke Johnson as our defensive line coach," said head coach Jay Norvell. "He's a great young coach who has spent time at Baylor and at Western Kentucky with our defensive coordinator Tyson Summers. He will be a great addition to our staff and to our players."
 
Johnson joined the Baylor staff in May of 2024 and was elevated into the Quality Control role in January of 2025 and assistant linebacker coach in the summer. During his first season with the Bears, Johnson helped transform a defensive unit under head coach Dave Aranda into a thriving unit that helped spur a six-game winning streak to conclude the regular season, earning BU a berth in the Texas Bowl.
 
His 2024 defensive unit was highlighted by the dynamic inside linebacker duo of Keaton Thomas and Matt Jones. The pair combined for 227 tackles, each earning first-team All-Big 12 honors. They marked the first linebacker duo since 2011 to total over 100 tackles each in a season.
 
"Luke is somebody who is very familiar with our defense and somebody that I trust very much," said defensive coordinator Tyson Summers. "He is a bright young star in the coaching profession, and he will be great in developing our players as well as recruiting talent; and I knew he would be the perfect fit for Colorado State and coach Norvell."
 
Before Waco, Johnson worked as a defensive graduate assistant at Western Kentucky in 2023, which followed a season as the linebackers coach and special teams coordinator at the University of Sioux Falls in 2022.
 
Johnson started his coaching career at Wofford in 2020 as a defensive quality control coach. The following year he was elevated to the outside linebackers for the Terriers.
 
While at Western Kentucky, he worked alongside Colorado State's defensive coordinator Tyson Summers. Johnson helped the Toppers to 26 total turnovers, leading the conference and ranking No. 7 nationally. WKU had 11 fumble recoveries, ranking seventh in the nation and its 15 interceptions ranked No. 15 in the NCAA.
 
He played four seasons at UW-Platteville, from 2016-19, where he was a four-year starter at cornerback, a 2019 team captain, and was named to second-team all-conference in 2017 and to the 2016 newcomer team of the year. Johnson was the recipient of the George Chryst Award, representing leadership and attitude both on and off the field.
 
COACHING EXPERIENCE
2025-Present: Colorado State
Defensive Line
2024: Baylor
Graduate Assistant - Outside Linebackers
2023: Western Kentucky
Graduate Assistant - Linebackers
2022: University of Sioux Falls
Linebackers / Special Teams Coordinator
2021: Wofford
Outside Linebackers
2020: Wofford
Defensive Quality Control - Inside Linebackers
 
BOWL EXPERIENCE
2023: Famous Toastery (Western Kentucky)
2024: Texas (Baylor)
 
 
 
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