Ellis Johnson is an American college football

College football

College football refers to American football played by teams of student athletes fielded by American universities, colleges, and military academies, or Canadian football played by teams of student athletes fielded by Canadian universities...

 coach. Johnson is currently the Defensive Coordinator and Assistant Head Coach of the South Carolina Gamecocks

South Carolina Gamecocks football

The South Carolina Gamecocks football team represents the University of South Carolina in NCAA Division I college football. The Gamecocks have been a member of the Southeastern Conference since 1992. Steve Spurrier is the current head coach, and the team plays its home games at Williams-Brice...

. Johnson's 27 years as a collegiate coach include four as a head coach and 13 as a defensive coordinator. Johnson was formerly the Defensive Coordinator of Clemson

Clemson Tigers

The Clemson Tigers are any team that represents Clemson University as a member of the NCAA's Division I or in the Atlantic Division of the Atlantic Coast Conference....

, Alabama, and Mississippi State

Mississippi State Bulldogs

The Mississippi State Bulldogs are the athletic teams of Mississippi State University. They participate in NCAA's Division I in the competitive 12-member Southeastern Conference under the mascot Bulldogs and the school colors of maroon and white...

. Johnson was the 21st head coach
for The Citadel Bulldogs

The Citadel Bulldogs

The Citadel Bulldogs are the athletic teams that represent The Citadel, The Military College of South Carolina. All sports participate in the NCAA Division I. Varsity sports compete primarily in the Southern Conference, although the Rifle teams compete in the South Eastern Air Rifle Conference...

 located in Charleston, South Carolina

Charleston, South Carolina

Charleston is the second largest city in the U.S. state of South Carolina. It was made the county seat of Charleston County in 1901 when Charleston County was founded. The city's original name was Charles Towne in 1670, and it moved to its present location from a location on the west bank of the...

,
and he held that position for three seasons, from 2001 until 2003.
His career coaching record at The Citadel was 12 wins, 22 losses, and 0 ties. This ranks him
15th at The Citadel in total wins and 20th at The Citadel in winning percentage.

A 1975 graduate of The Citadel, Johnson played a defensive end for the Bulldogs. He began his career as the defensive ends coach at The Citadel under Bobby Ross

Bobby Ross

Robert Joseph Ross is a former American football player and coach. He served as the head football coach at The Citadel , the University of Maryland, College Park , the Georgia Institute of Technology , and the United States Military Academy , compiling a career college football record of 103–101–2...

in 1975 before working as the head coach at Gaffney (S.C.) High School from 1976–78 and Spartanburg (S.C.) High School from 1979-81. After Gene Chizik had been hired at Auburn, rumors began circulating that he would join the staff as Defensive Coordinator.

Johnson is married to the former Caroline Courie, a Columbia, SC native. They have two sons, Eli and Charlie, and a daughter, Sandra Elliott.