Former Charleston Southern linebacker Zack Johnson returned to his alma mater in February 2022 to lead the special teams charge after spending the last-three seasons at Savannah State. He started with the Tigers as their Safeties Coach/Special Team Coordinator for the 2019 and 2020 seasons before moving onto the Linebackers Coach position while maintaining his role as Special Teams Coordinator for the 2021 campaign. The Tigers posted a 16-6 record during his three seasons on the sidelines, which included a six-game win streak in the middle of the 2021 season and four-game win streak to end 2019. Savannah State earned regional Top 10 rankings in 2021.

Savannah State was ranked as high as third nationally in blocked punts, while Nyem Bozeman led the country in punt return touchdowns. He was a member of the defensive staff that helped guide the Tigers to three national Top-10 rankings, including first downs defense (sixth), total defense (seventh) and passing yards allowed (10th).

Johnson, a Boiling Springs, South Carolina, native broke into the coaching ranks in 2016 as a senior intern with the defensive backs at Coastal Carolina, while completing his master’s degree. After one season in that role, he remained on staff with the Chanticleers as their graduate assistant working with the defensive backs for the 2017 and 2018 campaigns. CCU posted a combined 18-18 record during those three years, which included a transition from the FCS Big South to the FBS Sun Belt.

Johnson earned his bachelor’s degree from Charleston Southern in business administration and management in December 2014 and completed his MBA from the institution a year later, in December 2015. He added a master’s degree in in instructional technology from Coastal Carolina in December 2018.

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