Raphael Johnson heads into his third season in 2020, where he will serve as the defensive line coach on Head Coach Zac Bruney's staff.
Johnson was instrumental in the development of defensive end Brandon Munoz and rush-end James Reese III, who both earned All-MEC Honorable Mention honors in 2019. Reese III led the Cardinals with 10.5 tackles for loss and posted 4.0 sacks, while Munoz led the team and ranked eighth in the MEC with 6.0 total sacks (all solo). He was the team's second leading tackler and led all defensive lineman in the MEC with 70 tackles, including 9.5 tackles for loss.
Johnson spent three seasons as an assistant coach at nearby Bellaire Local High School from 2015-17, tutoring the defensive line for Big Reds. During his tenure, Bellaire qualified for the OHSAA Division V Region 19 playoffs in 2016.
Prior to Bellaire, Johnson was an assistant coach from 2012-15 at NAIA Waldorf University in Forest City, Iowa. Johnson coached both linebackers and wide receivers, where he helped tutor a pair of all-conference selections and helped the wide receivers finish among the top-10 in the NAIA is total yards. Waldorf wide receivers accounted for two touchdowns the season prior to Johnson's arrival and posted 18 the following season.
Johnson enjoyed a standout collegiate career at West Liberty from 2006-10 on the defensive side of the ball. He appeared in all 13 games in 2008 when the Hilltoppers went 11-2, won the West Virginia Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (WVIAC) and reached the quarterfinals of the NCAA Playoffs.
Johnson earned a bachelor of science in sport management from West Liberty.
