This is an accepted version of this page Paul Clayton Johnson (born August 20, 1957) is a former American college football coach.

Johnson's Georgia Southern Eagles won consecutive NCAA Division I-AA Football Championships in 1999 and 2000.

Noted for his use of the flexbone spread option offense, Johnson was inducted into the College Football Hall of Fame in 2023.

Johnson earned his Bachelor of Science degree in physical education from Western Carolina University in 1979, where he was a member of the Kappa Alpha Order.

Johnson started his college career at Georgia Southern University in 1983, where he served as offensive coordinator for consecutive NCAA Division I-AA National Football Championships teams in 1985 and 1986.

The 2005 Navy squad recorded a mark of 8–4, highlighted by victories over Army, Air Force, and Colorado State in the inaugural Poinsettia Bowl.

Johnson dominated the Commander-in-Chief's Trophy competition, going 11–1 (.917) in his six years, with the only loss against another service academy coming at the hands of Air Force in his first season.

Much of Johnson's success was predicated on his triple option flexbone offense, a run-oriented attack that led NCAA Division I-A/FBS football in rushing yards three of his last four years at Navy.

have criticized the triple option as gimmick offense unfit for major college football, which may have explained the reluctance of some top programs to offer him a position despite his accomplishments at both Georgia Southern and Navy.

[8][9] Johnson, who came to Georgia Tech in December after a six-year tenure at Navy, inherited a young roster with reduced numbers because of an NCAA probation.

[8][10] Sports Illustrated predicted Johnson's first Yellow Jacket team would win three games and finish fourth in the Atlantic Coast Conference's Coastal Division.

Georgia Tech, ranked 14th in the BCS standings and 15th in the AP Poll, finished the regular season with a 9–3 record.

[11] On December 2, 2008, Johnson was tabbed as ACC Coach of the Year by the Atlantic Coast Sports Media Association (ACSMA).

In 2009, Johnson led the Yellow Jackets to an 11–3 record, including the school's first win at Florida State in school history, and a victory over #4 Virginia Tech in Atlanta, which broke a 17-game home losing streak to top five opponents, and the program's first win over Virginia in Charlottesville since 1990.

The Jackets finished the season with a 21–7 win over the preseason #1 team, USC, in the Hyundai Sun Bowl in El Paso, Texas.

In 2014, Johnson led Georgia Tech to their fourth Coastal Division title during his tenure and a spot in the 2014 ACC Championship Game.

The Yellow Jackets fell two points short in the ACC title game to the defending national champions, Florida State, but were still selected for their second Orange Bowl berth in six seasons.

The 12th ranked Yellow Jackets dominated the game in the second half and finished their season with a 49–34 win over seventh-ranked Mississippi State.

However, the Yellow Jackets did beat fifth-ranked Florida State at Bobby Dodd Stadium, blocking a field goal attempt and returning it for a touchdown as time expired.

Johnson announced his retirement on November 28, 2018, effective following the team's bowl game against the Minnesota Golden Gophers.