Dante Johnson starts his second season as the defensive coordinator at Concord. 

In his first season at CU, Johnson also worked with the defensive line, but will shift to linebackers' coach along with his duties as the defensive coordinators. 

Johnson has familiarity with head coach Cody Edwards after previously working at Western Carolina. 

In Johnson and Edwards' first season in Athens, the Mountain Lion defense saw marketable improvement, finishing second in the Mountain East Conference in total defense, second in passing defensive and fifth in both scoring defense and rushing defense. Johnson's defensive line produced 18 sacks which was tied for third in the MEC. In the secondary, Concord intercepted 14 passes which was second in the conference, and just one shy of the MEC lead. With the great defensive numbers, Johnson coordinated the best Mountain Lion defense since the 2015 season. 

Three Concord defensive players made All-MEC in 2025: Nehemiah Scott (First Team), Ethan Rennels (Second Team) and Xavier Ellison (Second Team). Additionally, Scott earned All-Region honors. 

At Western Carolina, Johnson bounced around the defensive side of the ball as a quality control coach. And even though Johnson was only a full-time coach at WCU for two years, he was an undergraduate student assistant coach for five years prior. In addition to his defensive knowledge, Johnson spent time working with the Western Carolina special teams.