Recruiting Areas: Delaware, Georgia, Texas (Dallas/Fort Worth, Austin), Western New York (Syracuse, Rochester, Buffalo), Alabama, Arkansas, Louisiana, Mississippi, Oklahoma
Jordan Johnson spent the 2024 season as Penn's running backs coach.
He comes to University City following four seasons at Bucknell in the same role.
Penn began the 2024 season battling FBS-bound Delaware close on the road before picking up victories against Colgate, Bucknell, Brown, and Cornell. Johnson’s first season with the Quakers provided no shortage of highlights as he oversaw the production of sophomore running back Malachi Hosley, who was named Ivy League Offensive Player of the Year and earned unanimous first-team All-Ivy honors. In addition, Hosley was a finalist for the Walter Payton Award and earned All-America honors from FCS Football Central (second team) and Stats Perform (third team). Hosley made a start in all 10 games and led the Ivy League in all rushing categories including carries (191), yards (1,192), touchdowns (9), yards per carry (6.2), and yards per game (119.2). He ranked fourth in FCS football in rushing yards per game, 11th in total rushing yards, 13th in all-purpose yards per game (128.1), and 16th in yards per carry. Hosley had seven 100-or-more rushing yard games.
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In 2023, Johnson played a role in the Bison winning four games while running back Coleman Bennett was named a second-team All-Patriot League honoree. Bennett finished the season ranked seventh in the FCS and second in the Patriot League in all-purpose yards per game (137.7).
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During the 2022 campaign, Bucknell won three games while averaging 114.4 yards per game on the ground. Under Johnson’s guidance, sophomore running back Rushawn Baker totaled 646 rushing yards and a team-high seven touchdowns, while Coleman Bennett rushed for nearly 400 yards, recording 366 with two scores.
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The 2021 season saw four different players—Jared Cooper, Rushawn Baker, Danny Meuser and Coleman Bennett—see the bulk of time at running back, with Cooper leading the way with 101 carries for 312 yards and two touchdowns. Meuser also scored two TDs while Baker finished second on the team with 235 rushing yards.
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In Johnson’s first season in Lewisburg in the spring of 2021, Bucknell went 2-2 in the COVID-shortened campaign, advancing to the first-and-only Patriot League Championship Game against Holy Cross, where the Bison fell, 33-10. Bucknell picked up back-to-back wins over Lafayette (38-13) and Lehigh (6-0) to begin the year, while Jared Cooper and Coleman Bennett split much of the ball-carrying duties. Cooper led the team with 115 total yards, while Bennett scored a touchdown on 35 carries.
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Johnson spent the 2019 campaign coaching running backs at Marist College. He helped guide Hunter Cobb to honorable mention All-Pioneer Football League honors after he rushed 122 times for 674 yards and 13 touchdowns.
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Johnson began his coaching career at Erie Community College in 2017. There, he helped the running backs eclipse 1,500 yards; his top two rushers ultimately signed with NCAA Division I and Division II programs. In 2018, he coached an all-conference returner at Fort Valley State University.
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During his collegiate playing days, he was a record-breaking running back at the University at Buffalo from 2012 to 2016. At the time of his graduation with a degree in sociology, he held the school record in single-game rushing yards (282) and was ranked among the program leaders in career yards per carry (5.2, 4th) and career rushing yards (2,212, 6th).
As a senior, Johnson made the All-MAC Third Team after rushing for 1,040 yards. He then signed a free-agent contract with the Buffalo Bills. He appeared in all four of Buffalo's preseason games, scoring one touchdown.
A Buffalo native, Johnson was a two-time New York State Class A Player of the Year. A quarterback, he led Sweet Home High School to a 33-2 record and a state championship.
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THE JOHNSON FILE
Running Backs Coach – Penn, 2024
Running Backs Coach – Bucknell, 2020-23
Running Backs Coach – Marist, 2019
Graduate Assistant (RBs) – Fort Valley State, 2018
Assistant Coach – Erie Community College, 2017
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Hometown – Buffalo, N.Y.
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Education
2017 B.A. – Buffalo
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