| NU's new running back coach should be familiar to everyone, and certainly knows his way around Nicolet. He spent 1998-2001 in Evanston as a graduate assistant on Randy Walker's staff. Kevin Johns had been coaching Wide Receivers for the Richmond Spiders. His charges averaged 12.2 yards a catch in 2003.
He certainly brings a winning attitude back to NU. Before entering the coaching ranks, Johns was a two-year starter and three-year letterwinner at quarterback for the University of Dayton. In his two-year stint as the starting signal caller, Dayton recorded a 20-1 record and he earned I-AA All-America honors. A two-time team MVP (1996, 1997), Johns was named the I-AA Non-Scholarship Offensive Player of the Year as a junior.
In 1998, Johns graduated from Dayton with a bachelor of science degree in mathematics. He received his masters in school administration from Northwestern in August 2001.
"He's one of the finest young coaches I've been around," Walker said. [Chicago Trib] "I told him when he left for Richmond to start his full-time career, 'When I get a chance, I'm going to hire you.'
"He's real smart, which isn't bad. But the best thing young coaches do to display their readiness is anticipation. They see things before they happen. They might not know a lot of football yet, but they anticipate. He was always a step ahead. He had things in my hand before I asked for them." | 
