REPORT: Colorado State hiring away Baylor football coach
According to 247Sports' Matt Zenitz, a Baylor football coach is on the move. Colorado State is hiring Baylor's assistant linebackers coach Luke Johnson to become its new defensive line coach.
Johnson joined the staff in May of 2024 and served as a defensive graduate assistant, before moving into the Quality Control role in Jan. of 2025. Johnson was promoted to work as the assistant linebackers coach, but he has now gained another promotion to become the Rams' DL coach.
Colorado State is set to hire Baylor assistant linebackers coach Luke Johnson as its new defensive line coach, a source tells @CBSSports.
— Matt Zenitz (@mzenitz) July 23, 2025
Worked at Baylor the last two seasons after spending 2023 at Western Kentucky, where he worked with current Colorado State DC Tyson Summers. pic.twitter.com/rOW4jImAdK
During his first season with the Bears, Johnson helped transform a defensive unit under head coach Dave Aranda into a thriving unit that helped spur a six-game winning streak to conclude the regular season, earning BU a berth in the Texas Bowl.
His 2024 defensive unit was highlighted by the dynamic inside linebacker duo of Keaton Thomas and Matt Jones. The pair combined for 227 tackles, each earning first-team All-Big 12 Conference. They marked the first linebacker duo since 2011 to total over 100 tackles each in a season.
Johnson previously worked at Western Kentucky in 2023.
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