Ellis Johnson named head coach at Southern Miss.

Posted: 12.20.2011 at 1:38 PM

Updated: 12.20.2011 at 6:40 PM

Hattiesburg, MS (WACH) – It's official. Former USC assistant head coach Ellis Johnson is now just that. Southern Mississippi named Johnson the program's new head football coach.

After practice Tuesday evening, USC head coach Steve Spurrier announced that Johnson will not coach the Gamecocks during the Capital One Bowl on January 2. Instead, Spurrier says Lorenzo Ward will coach the defense.

Johnson was USC's defensive coordinator and assistant head coach under Steve Spurrier. He will replace outgoing coach Larry Fedora at Southern Miss. Fedora is leaving the program for to replace Butch Davis at North Carolina after guiding the Golden Eagles in the Hawaii Bowl on Christmas Eve.

Johnson is in his fourth season at South Carolina after serving four seasons as defensive coordinator at Mississippi State. He has head coaching experience with three seasons at the Citadel from 2001-03 and one year at Gardner-Webb (1983).

The Citadel went 12-22 under Johnson, but its 6-6 campaign in his final season of 2003 marked the best record for the military institution in six years.

Johnson has familiarity with Southern Miss, having served as defensive coordinator from 1988-89. He has also been an assistant on the collegiate level at Appalachian State, East Carolina, Alabama and Clemson.

Johnson's departure has been churning in the rumor mill around Columbia ever since the head coaching job at Southern Miss. opened up. Johnson and his wife are both natives of the Midlands. Johnson is originally from Winnsboro, South Carolina.