'We On Fries' ... FSU RBs coach David Johnson turns life, sports lessons into motivational book

Florida State assistant coach David Johnson has carried a long list of titles.

He’s currently the Seminoles’ running backs coach and recruiting coordinator. He previously was a receivers coach and running backs coach at Tennessee. He has been an assistant coach at several other colleges and was once head coach at New Orleans power St. Augustine High.

To most players and coaches — and even fans and media — he is affectionately known as “Coach YAC.”

And Johnson now has added a new title to the list — that of author.

Along with co-author Brian W. Smith, Johnson has published a new book that reflects on his life’s journey and the lessons he has learned along the way.

The title is, “We on Fries. Finding your purpose and enjoying your journey.” And it taps into a phrase he often repeats to his players when encouraging them to focus on their responsibilities and not worry about how the people around them are performing.

“With my group, I tell them we’re gonna worry about what we have to worry about,” the Florida State running backs coach said in an interview Thursday with Warchant. “Just concentrate on our job. Be locked in on things we need to do as a group. … If we worry about fries, it’s 3 1/2 minutes. ‘Do you want salt or no salt?’ Just keep it basic and do what you’re supposed to do.”

The book, which is available for $12.99 in paperback at Amazon and $7.99 on Kindle, also delves into his own journey to provide inspiration.

Johnson recounts how he lived out of his car for weeks after Hurricane Katrina displaced his family and he took a job making $500 per month as receivers coach at tiny Millsaps College in Jackson, Miss.

Despite being away from his wife and three children temporarily and facing major financial hardships, Johnson said he never let those circumstances affect his desire to be the best coach he could be.

“My mindset was different,” Johnson said. “My mindset wasn’t I [was] homeless. I was just the first person at work.”

When you get an autographed book from the one and only @CoachYACJohnson #FAMILY pic.twitter.com/gZGg5cGv9f

— Coach Dillingham (@KennyDillingham) June 28, 2023

Johnson eventually went back to coaching in the high school ranks and took over as head coach at St. Augustine, which had endured a streak of losing seasons. The Purple Knights went .500 in Johnson’s first season and won 10 games the next.

“I hit the jackpot,” Johnson said with a smile. “Tyrann Mathieu was a senior. Leonard Fournette’s in the eighth grade. Trai Turner’s in the 10th grade. Lorenzo Doss is in the ninth grade. And my ball boy is Stanley Morgan. So it all worked out.”

Along with getting to coach those future college and NFL stars, it was during this time frame that Johnson also made the acquaintance of then-Tulsa assistant coach Mike Norvell.

Years later, Johnson would become one of the first assistant coaches Norvell hired at Memphis. And after a two-year stint at Tennessee, Johnson then rejoined Norvell at Florida State in 2020.

When asked about the main messages in his book, Johnson said a big one is not being afraid of the process and understanding that dreams can take time to come true.

“You have to start at a Millsaps,” he said. “You’re not gonna start out at Florida State.”

Here are links to purchase Johnson’s book at Amazon and Barnes & Noble.

And check out the video below to watch the complete interview with Johnson about his book, how things are going with the Seminoles’ summer workouts and more:

Here are time stamps for topics discussed during the interview:

1:30 — Meaning and message of “We on Fries”

3:30 — Leadership

4:05 — Origin of the book project

5:20 — Inspiration from his parents

5:55 — Getting into college coaching after Hurricane Katrina

7:10 — His mindset while homeless

7:45 — Advice for young coaches

10:40 — Finding opportunity back in high schools

12:30 — Making tough career decisions

13:55 — Heightened expectations for the 2023 Seminoles

15:25 — FSU’s efforts in high school recruiting

16:40 –– The Seminoles’ deep running back group

20:00 — Destyn Hill’s arrival at FSU

22:00 — Biggest takeaway from the book

Talk about this story with other die-hard FSU football fans on the Tribal Council.