Johnny Jernigan, who joined the Sam Houston football staff in February, 2010, has been an important part of the Bearkats' 31-10 record the past three seasons as defensive line coach.
Sam Houston State won the Southland Conference championship and reached the NCAA Division I national championship finals in both 2011 and 2012.
In 2012, the Bearkats led the Southland Conference in rushing defense, total defensive and pass efficiency defense and were second in the league in scoring defense.
J. T. Cleveland and Gary Lorance were both All-Southland Conference performance.
Jernigan's 2011 defensive line helped the Bearkats lead the Southland Conference in rushing defense and rank No. 16 nationally in quarterback sacks.
During the Bearkats' 14-1 Southland Conference championship season, the Jernigan's linemen were part of a unit that led the conference in rushing defense, total defense, scoring defense, pass efficiency defense and turnover margin.
Sam Houston ended the year with NCAA national defensive rankings of No. 1 in rushing, No. 2 in scoring and turnover margin, No. 3 in total yards and No. 4 in pass efficiency.
Jernigan has tutored three defensive linemen (J. T. Cleveland, Andrew Weaver and Gary Lorance) who have earned All-Southland Conference a total of four times in the past two seasons. Cleveland also received All-America honors after the 2011 championship campaign.
Previously Jernigan served as defensive line coach at Murray State where the Racers' defense ranked as one of the top units in the Ohio Valley Conference. Among the players coached by Jernigan was All-American defensive end Austen Lane who set single-season records for sacks and tackles-for-loss.
Jernigan was defensive line coach at Tennessee-Martin from 2001 to 2005. During the 2002 season, he was the interim head coach for the final five games of the season. The 2005 UTM defense led the OVC in total defense and ranked second in pass defense. Jernigan was the defensive line coach at Henderson State University in Arkadelphia, Ark., for one season.
The Houston, Texas, native began his collegiate coaching career at Kilgore College in Kilgore, Texas. From 1994 to 1999, Jernigan was the team's defensive line coach. In three of his six seasons the Kilgore defense finished either second or third in the conference in total defense.
Jernigan earned an associate of arts degree in health and physical education from Tyler Junior College in 1992 and a bachelor of science degree in kinesiology from Stephen F. Austin in 1994.
He was a defensive end at Tyler and SFA. His play earned Texas Junior College Football Conference First-Team All-Conference honors at Tyler. While at SFA, Jernigan was a preseason Second-Team All-Southland Conference selection in 1993 after registering 45 tackles and two sacks to earn Honorable Mention All-SLC laurels in 1992. Jernigan helped lead SFA to the 1993 FCS playoffs and a No. 12 national ranking.
Jernigan was an all-state football player for Navasota High School, leading his team to the state finals. Jernigan and his wife LaShunta have two sons, Davon and Amontae.
