Black Shoe Diaries

This is a familiar face for you all: Larry Johnson. Johnson is the new/old defensive line coach who will hopefully continue to be one of Penn State's top recruiters, as well as the guy that churns out first round defensive line talents year in and year out.

Playing Experience:

Johnson was a linebacker for Elizabeth City State University from 1970-1973 and played a single year with the Washington Redskins before beginning his coaching career.

Coaching Experience:

?-1991: Head Coach - Maurice J. McDonough High School
1992-1993: Head Coach - T.C. Williams High School (yes that T.C. Williams High School)
1996-1999: DE/ST Coach - Penn State University
2000-2011: DL Coach - Penn State University
2011-2012: Co-Defensive Coordinator - Penn State University
2012-Present: DL Coach - Penn State University

Johnson cut his teeth at the high school level during the 70s and 80s. His teams at Maurice J. McDonough HS were routinely competing for (and winning) state championships. Since arriving at Penn State, Johnson has developed several award winning defensive linemen, and sent several of his players to the NFL (Tamba Hali, Jared Odrick, Aaron Maybin and soon, Devon Still to name a few).

Recruiting:

For the past several years, Johnson has been one of Penn State's top recruiters. He has consistently used his connections to the Maryland and Virginia area to attract top talent to Penn State. I don't expect this to change at all under Bill O'Brien.

Cupboards:

Replacing Devon Still will be no easy task, but the defensive line is a position that Penn State has been able to reload pretty well over the past several years. Jordan Hill and Sean Stanley will be back for their senior seasons and they will get Pete Massaro back from injury. Current commits such as Jamil Pollard and Brent Wilkerson should help Penn State's ability to churn out quality defensive linemen.