Report: Syracuse football expected to hire Michael Johnson from FAU as WR coach

The Syracuse Orange revamped its football coaching staff after a 5-7 season in 2021. Four coaches left and three have joined. Now a fourth is reportedly joining to complete Syracuse’s coaching staff reconstruction. Former FAU coach Michael Johnson is expected to join the Orange as its wide receivers coach, per ESPN’s Pete Thamel.

Johnson was most recently the offensive coordinator and quarterbacks coach at FAU He was expected to become the tight ends coach for the Owls for 2022 after FAU hired Brent Dearmon from Middle Tennessee to be its offensive coordinator. Johnson has been a wide receivers coach before in college and the NFL with Mississippi State, Oregon, the Baltimore Ravens, the Atlanta Falcons and Oregon State. He notably was at Mississippi State when Garrett Shrader was the starting quarterback for a few games.

While FAU ended the 2021 season with the same 5-7 record as Syracuse, the offensive numbers, especially in the passing game that the Owls put up look far better than what the Orange managed to do. Johnson coached Miami QB transfer N’Kosi Perry to throw for 230 yards per game and for three receivers to record over 400 yards receiving. As a comparison, Shrader only averaged 120 passing yards per game and no Syracuse receiver had over 400 yards receiving.

That completes the Syracuse coaching staff for 2022, with the Orange hiring Bob Ligashesky as special teams coordinator, Jason Beck as quarterbacks coach and Robert Anae as offensive coordinator along with Johnson. Syracuse is replacing former OC Sterlin Gilbert, TE coach Reno Ferri, DL coach Vince Reynolds and WR coach Terrance Samuel.

The Syracuse coaching staff looks like this for 2022:

• HC Dino Babers
• OC Robert Anae
• DC/LB Tony White
• QB Jason Beck
• RB Mike Lynch
• WR Michael Johnson
• OL Mike Schmidt
• DL Chris Achuff
• CB Chip West
• S Nick Monroe
• ST Bob Ligasheksy