Erik Johnson joined the Southeastern staff in January of 2019 as the team’s defensive coordinator and linebackers coach.
 
Johnson's defensive squad helped Southeastern put together one of the biggest single-season turnarounds in DII history, improving by 7.5 games to post a 9-3 record in 2021.

His squad was led by GAC Defensive Player of the Year and All-American Maalik Hall who paced a group of five All-GAC honorees on the defensive side of the ball for the Storm.

The SE defense in 2021 allowed 24.3 ppg and kept offenses to 367.8 yards per game of total offense and just 210.1 yards per game through the air.

He helped the Southeastern program face the challenge of navigating the Covid-19 Pandemic and saw the 2020 season canceled, marking the first stoppage in school history since a three-season break from 1943-45 during World War II.

The 2019 Southeastern squad posted a 1-10 record overall on the season, with four of those losses decided by four-or-fewer points.

That team saw five players earn All-Great American Conference honors, four of them defenders, led by second team selections by Connor Swope and Josh Mulumba.  Andrew McBeth and Jeremiah Baltrip each tacked on honorable mention recognition. That team also had 11 players pick up Academic All-GAC recognition, four of them on defense.

Johnson has 27 years of coaching experience under his belt, with his most recent stop being a five-year stint as the defensive backs coach at Claremont College in California.
 
While at CMS he coached six defensive back who earned All-Southern California Intercollegiate Athletic Conference honors, including three first team selections.
 
Those teams tallied 54 interceptions over five seasons and a total of 80 takeaways in that span.
 
Prior to CMS, Johnson was the defensive coordinator for Occidental College from 2002-2012, where he was promoted to associate head coach prior to the 2012 season.
 
During his time at Occidental, the team won four SCIAC titles and the defense led the SCIAC in fewest points allowed and rushing defense in 2003 and 2004.
 
Over 20 of his players have earned All-SCIAC honors, including Mike Bryant '06, the SCIAC's first three-time Defensive Player of the Year.
 
Prior to his arrival to Occidental, he coached at Crescenta Valley High School (Defensive Coordinator, 2001), John Muir High School (Assistant Coach, 1993-1994; Head Coach, 1994-2000) and Blair High School (Assistant Coach 1991-1993).
 
While at John Muir High School, Johnson coached over 40 athletes who went on to play Div. I FBS or FCS football.  The Mustangs' offense broke several school records, including total yardage and points scored in a season.  Defensively, John Muir ranked in the top five in points allowed in the CIF Southern Section in 1999 and 2000.  Johnson's teams won four league titles and made the CIF playoffs every year, advancing to the semifinals twice, and the quarterfinals three times.  He was named Pacific League Coach of the Year twice (1997 and 1998) and San Gabriel Valley Coach of the Year once (1997). He won four Pacific League titles at Muir and one at Crescenta Valley.
 
Johnson played quarterback at Citrus College (1986-1987) before transferring to St. Mary's College for the 1988 and 1989 seasons. He graduated from Cal State LA with a Bachelor of Arts in social science.
 
Johnson and his wife Gina have a daughter, Amber, and one grandson, Tyler.