Ellis Johnson: No formal talks to return to USC
Former South Carolina defensive coordinator Ellis Johnson hopes to get back into coaching in the future but did not have any formal discussions about re-joining the Gamecocks this season, he told 107.5 The Game on Thursday.
“I probably talked to someone (at South Carolina) every week (about something) for the last two years, but, was there ever any discussion about coming back to work here? No,” Johnson told the school’s flagship radio network.
This is the first time in 55 years Johnson has not been preparing to join a football team for preseason camp, he said. Johnson, 63, was South Carolina’s defensive coordinator from 2008-2011. The Gamecocks finished third, sixth, fifth and seventh in the SEC in scoring defense during that time.
He left in 2012 to become the head coach at Southern Miss. He was fired following an 0-12 season and then served as Auburn’s defensive coordinator for two seasons. Tigers coach Gus Malzahn fired Johnson following the season and hired Will Muschamp to replace him. The Tigers finished 10th in the SEC in scoring defense in Johnson’s second season as defensive coordinator.
“I don’t think the decision was based on a whole lot more than (Muschamp being available),” Johnson said. “I think it was more than wins and losses. I think it was more than statistics. I think it was more than performance. There are some things I am not going to discuss.”
Johnson and his family recently moved from Auburn back to Columbia, and he plans to help at least one friend who is active in the coaching profession with breaking down film this year.
“Maybe after 55 years, you need a break, but it has been hard to be away from it,” he said. “I do want to get back in it. Hope I’ll have the opportunity to do so.”
He was an assistant coach at Alabama, Mississippi State, Clemson and East Carolina before joining South Carolina’s staff.
This story was originally published July 30, 2015 at 5:00 PM with the headline "Ellis Johnson: No formal talks to return to USC."