Juan Johnson directed Hewitt-Trussville’s offense to 35 points per game the last four seasons. (Submitted photo)
By ARTHUR L. MACK
Hewitt-Trussville offensive coordinator Juan Johnson was named Baker High School’s new head football coach on Thursday, athletic director Daniel Kertis said.
Johnson, a native of Brewton and a graduate of T.R. Miller, will replace Steve Normand, who retired last month. The hire must be approved by the Mobile County School Board.
“We’re excited,” Johnson told the Call News. “It was always going to be a family decision and my wife and three girls talked about it when we were looking for head coaching opportunities this offseason and this opportunity is near and dear to my hometown. It’s an opportunity to move closer to my home. Coach Normand did a tremendous job in stabilizing the program and we just want to take the next step.”
Johnson has spent eight years at Hewitt-Trussville, the last four as offensive coordinator. He has 17 years total of coaching experience, including as the offensive coordinator at T.R. Miller under Jamie Riggs, the defensive coordinator at Stanhope Elmore in 2010 and three years as an assistant at Opp.
Under Johnson, the Huskies’ offense averaged 35 points per game the last four seasons and Hewitt-Trussville made four straight playoff appearances.
Kertis said Johnson is the perfect fit for the Hornets, who went 29-24 under Normand’s leadership and made the Class 7A playoffs four times. Last year’s team, led by first-team All-State players Josh Flowers at quarterback and Bryce Cain at wide receiver, went 8-3 and lost to Auburn in the first round.
“I guess people understand what Hewitt-Trussville has done over the last few years with the kind of resurgence they’ve had,” Kertis said. “Coach Johnson was a very integral part of that process and we’re very blessed we have him here trying to build Baker into what we believe it can be.”
Kertis said he interviewed 19 candidates, which to him indicated Normand made it a desirable job.
“It’s a testament to what coach Normand has built at Baker,” Kertis said. “It was a very difficult decision but I will say in hiring coach Johnson, he was a clear leader in that group when it came to having a very good mind on the coaching side of football. He was a very wonderful person to sit down and talk to. We feel we’ve done a phenomenal job in finding coach Johnson and getting him to come over to Baker. We’re very excited about it.
“What I love about him is his personality — it’s just infectious. When you sit down and talk with him, whether it’s about football or about the program in general, he just has this way of showing you his vision and you buy into that vision. It aligns so well with what we’re trying to do. It just seems like a great fit.”
After graduating from T.R. Miller, where he played for Riggs and helped the Tigers to the 2000 state championship, Johnson played for Tuskegee University, where he graduated in 2007.
Johnson, who is also an assistant coach for Hewitt-Trussville’s girls basketball team, said he is still trying to work out some logistics on coming to Mobile since the Huskies are in the regionals.
