Steve Johns is in his 14th year at the Naval Academy and in his third year coaching the strikers. He spent his first 11 years coaching the linebackers.
Navy has compiled a 101-66 (.605) record during Johns’ tenure, beating Army nine times, earning 10 bowl bids, winning six bowl games, winning six Commander-In-Chief’s Trophies and beating Notre Dame three times.
In 2020, after a slow start, the defense finished the year with a flurry, holding Memphis (205 yards), Tulsa (296) and Army (162) to under 300 yards of total offense. It was the first time a Navy defense had achieved that feat since 1997 when the Mids did it in seven-consecutive games.
In 2019, Navy had one of the greatest seasons in school history, winning a school-record tying 11 games against just two losses, winning the Commander-In-Chief’s Trophy, sharing the American Athletic Conference West Division title with Memphis and winning the prestigious Liberty Bowl. The Mids’ eight-game improvement from 2018 was the second-biggest turnaround in FBS history.
The Mids finished the 2019 campaign ranked 20th in both the Associated Press and USA Today Coaches Polls. It marked just the second time in the last 56 years that Navy finished in the AP Top 20 (18th in 2015).
A big part of that turnaround was the massive improvement Navy showed on the defensive side of the football as the Mids improved in every major category.
Navy finished the 2019 campaign ranked 20th in third down defense (121st in 2018), 10th in rushing defense (90th in 2018), 39th in passing defense (75th in 2018), 16th in total defense (86th in 2018), 34th in scoring defense (103rd in 2018), 68th in pass efficiency defense (117th in 2018), 55th in sacks (129th in 2018) and 53rd in tackles for a loss (129th in 2018).
The defensive staff, led by coordinator Brian Newberry, installed a “Get 6” culture within the Navy defense that took off. Newberry told the defensive players if they got a combination of six three-and-outs, fourth down stops, turnovers and defensive touchdowns in a game, the Mids would win. In 2019, the Mids were 8-0 when they managed to “Get 6.”
The Mids finished 10th in the nation against the run, giving up just 105.8 yards per game, despite facing the #2, #3 and #11 rushing offense’s in the country. The Mids forced the opposing offense off the field in three plays or less in 36 percent of its drives, which was the 10th best average in the country. The Navy defense gave up just 15.2 first downs per game, which was tied for third best in the country.
Navy finished the 2017 campaign with a 7-6 record, which included a 49-7 rout of Virginia in the Military Bowl. The 42-point margin of victory was the largest by a Navy team over a team from the autonomy 5 since the Mids beat West Virginia 51-7 in the 1963 season opener. The Mids played eight games against teams that went to a bowl game and played five teams that won 10 or more games.
The defense improved in all four major categories in 2017: against the run (154.5 yards per game), the pass (215.8 yards per game), total defense (370.3 yards per game) and scoring defense (26.3 points per game).
Navy finished the 2016 campaign with a 9-5 mark and a 7-1 record in the American Athletic Conference despite a season that saw the Mids have 102 missed games by starters or key contributors. The Mids played Temple in the AAC Championship Game and played in a bowl game (Armed Forces) for the 13th time in the last 14 years. The nine wins tied for the fifth most in school history. Outside linebacker D.J. Palmore was named First-Team All-East. Linebacker Micah Thomas was named Second-Team All-AAC and Honorable Mention All-East.
In 2015, Navy won a school-record 11 wins against two losses, qualified for a bowl game for the 12th time in the last 13 years, won a bowl game for the 10th time in school history (beat Pittsburgh 44-28 in the Military Bowl), won a bowl game for a third straight year for the first time in school history, defeated Army for a series-record 14th consecutive year, won the Commander-In-Chief’s Trophy for the third time in the last four years, won the Lambert Trophy as the best team in the East for the first time since 1963, finished 18th in the country in both the Associated Press and Coaches polls and shared the West Division title of the American Athletic Conference with Houston in Navy’s first year of being in a conference after being an Independent for 134 years.
As a team, the defense finished the 2015 season ranked 32nd in rushing defense (143.0), 40th in total defense (364.9), 26th in scoring defense (21.8), 12th in red zone defense (.737), 13th in turnovers gained (27), first in fumbles recovered (15), third in turnover margin (+1.46), first in fewest penalties per game (3.1) and first in fewest penalty yards per game (26.1).
Navy finished the 2014 campaign with an 8-5 record, won a bowl game for just the ninth time in school history (beat San Diego State 17-16 in the Poinsettia Bowl), won a bowl game in back-to-back years for the second time in school history and defeated Army for a series-record 13th consecutive year.
Linebacker Jordan Drake was named All-Independent by Phil Steele, while long snapper Joe Cardona was selected to play in the Senior Bowl and was invited to the NFL Combine. Punter Pablo Beltran was named All-East and All-Independent. Beltran finished his career with a 41.6 career average, the second-best average in school history.
Navy finished the 2013 campaign with a 9-4 record, won the Commander-In-Chief’s Trophy, won a bowl game (beat Middle Tennessee 24-6 in the Bell Helicopter Armed Forces Bowl) and defeated Army.
Linebackers Cody Peterson and DJ Sargenti had seasons to remember as Peterson finished tied for second in the country in solo tackles per game (7.2) and tied for seventh in total tackles per game (10.9). Peterson’s 142 tackles were the most by a Navy player since Javier Zuluaga in 1992. Sargenti, who had never recorded a tackle prior to his senior year, recorded 110 tackles on the year, including 71 solo stops. He finished 25th in the country in solo tackles per game (5.5).
Johns helped lead Navy to an 8-5 record in 2012 and a berth in the Kraft Fight Hunger Bowl. Navy defeated Air Force 28-21 in overtime and Army 17-13 to win the Commander-In-Chief’s Trophy.
The Mids posted an impressive 9-4 record in 2010, defeated Army, defeated Notre Dame in consecutive seasons for only the third time in school history and appeared in a bowl game.
The 2009 season was one to remember, as the Mids tied a school record for wins with 10, won a school-record seventh-consecutive Commander-In-Chief’s Trophy, appeared in a school-record seventh-consecutive bowl game and ran its winning streak against the other two Service Academies to an amazing 15-straight games. The Mids capped the season off with a 35-13 rout of Missouri in the Texas Bowl.
The Mids posted an 8-5 record in 2008 and participated in the EagleBank Bowl. The Mids won the Commander-In-Chief’s Trophy thanks to a 33-27 victory over Air Force and a 34-0 win over Army.
Before coming to Navy, Johns spent two seasons at Grossmont Junior College in El Cajon, Calif., where he served as the defensive coordinator and was a professor in the exercise science department. In 2006, the Griffins were Foothill Conference Champions and posted a 10-2 record thanks to a defense that gave up a school-record 7.6 points per contest.
In 2005, Johns served as defensive coordinator at the University of La Verne in La Verne, Calif., where he led the Leopards to their first winning season in eight years.
Johns coached at UNLV from 1999-2004, serving as a graduate assistant (defensive ends and punt team) for one year before being hired on full time and coaching the linebackers, coordinating the special teams and handling the recruiting coordinator duties for the final five seasons.
Johns began his coaching career at Occidental College, where he coached the defensive line from 1993-95. He coached at the University of San Diego in 1996, serving as the defensive line coach and special teams coordinator, before moving on to the University of La Verne, where he coached the defensive line in 1997 and the defensive backs in 1998, while also coordinating the special teams.
Johns is a 1991 graduate of Occidental College, where he was all-conference and team captain and earned his bachelor’s in political science in 1991 and his Master’s in education in 1995. In 2006, he earned a Masters of Sports Science from the United States Sports Academy.
Steve and his wife, Kristin, have two sons, Sam and Benjamin, and a daughter, Lily.
