Johnson’s BCS potential debated

“[Navy coach Paul Johnson] is my leading candidate because of his ability to turn losing teams into winning programs. He simply gets more out of his talent than anyone else.”

“Paul Johnson’s offense has never seen the athleticism in every single game like he will see in the ACC. I’m not convinced. … If you want to get fans against the program, bring in Paul Johnson and bore us to death. Not a good idea.”

— Posts from The Tar Pit, a message board on Scout.com’s Inside Carolina Web site.

Paul Johnson has been a hot topic for the followers of the North Carolina football program for weeks, and now that John Bunting will not return next season, the discussion among Tar Heel fans is magnified.

Johnson is a polarizing figure when his name comes up in any discussion at a school with a head coach vacancy. It is especially true at Chapel Hill because Johnson is a Newland, N.C., native, and there have been hundreds of posts from opinionated fans both for and against him.

One thread actually compares him to former North Carolina basketball coach Dean Smith for “doing it the right way.” Another alumnus threatened to burn his diploma if UNC hired Johnson.

Johnson has piled up victories as the coach at Georgia Southern and Navy. He won 86 percent of his games and two Division I-AA national titles in Statesboro, Ga. He has won 31 of 44 contests in the past 3½ years in Annapolis and sits one victory from the Midshipmen appearing in their fourth straight bowl game.

But could Johnson be successful at a BCS program? It is a debate that rages on in Chapel Hill and is certain to flare up in other college football communities as more positions become available and Johnson’s name surfaces as a candidate.

Recruiting

Johnson’s opponents immediately point to recruiting — the lifeblood of college football — and say A.) he wouldn’t be able to attract NFL-caliber talent, particularly at quarterback with his spread-option offense, and B.) he has no experience recruiting against elite programs for the best high school players.

“You don’t have to have the who’s who of high school players to win with that offense. It is built on people who are tough,” CSTV college football analyst Trev Alberts said. “Do you want to have statistics or do you want to win? But it will be used against him in recruiting.”

Enticing the prototypical NFL quarterback would be an issue if Johnson wanted one. Every year there are numerous elite high school athletes who were quarterbacks in high school, but switch to another position in college — like Penn State’s Derrick Williams, Louisville’s Michael Bush and Notre Dame’s Tom Zbikowski. Johnson most likely would not have trouble finding athletes to play quarterback in his system.

Any criticism about not being able to recruit at other positions is probably also a myth.

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