Will Johnson is in his second year on the football staff as the director of player and NFL alumni relations and third year with the WVU football program.
Johnson’s position functions as a player development liaison with the football student-athletes, giving attention to their off-the-field activities. He providesa daily presence at study halls, mandatory meals and in the weight and training rooms. He is the program’s liaison to the athletics department’s sports psychologist, the counseling center, campus/city law enforcement, student service/conduct and drug and alcohol assistance.
Johnson maintains and oversees student-athlete housing, coordinates and assists the student-athletes in finding employment. Johnson assists the head coach with leadership groups and activities and assists the head coach with player discipline. He oversees assigning mentors to at-risk student-athletes and facilitates mental health education.
In his role in NFL alumni relations, Johnson cultivates relationships with former Mountaineer players, coordinates alumni events and reunions and oversees the NFL Care Package program.
In 2018, Johnson was a graduate assistant coach with the WVU strength and conditioning staff, primarily working with the football program. He assisted in developing the student-athletes in the areas of linear speed, Olympic lifting, power training, resistance training, functional movement and rehabilitation.
Prior to that, Johnson played fullback and tight end in the National Football League with the Pittsburgh Steelers (2012-16) and the New York Giants (2016-18). He was signed as an undrafted free agent by the Steelers and was their starting fullback for four years and was part of their 2014 AFC North title.
Johnson was a four-year letterwinner for West Virginia from 2007-10, helping the Mountaineers win two Big East Conference titles and make four bowl appearances, including earning two wins. He graduated from WVU with a bachelor’s degree in multidisciplinary studies in 2011 (business management, sport and exercise psychology, small business entrepreneurship).
A native of Dayton, Ohio, Johnson, has two children, Owen and Wyatt.
