The Utah Utes officially added former quarterback Brian Johnson to their staff Monday, naming him the quarterbacks coach.

Johnson has been a constant presence at practice this season as an observer. Utah coach Kyle Whittingham has made it clear he wanted him on his staff, but didn't have room to add him until cornerbacks coach J.D. Williams, who was with the Utes for only a season, accepted a position at UNLV.

"The addition of Brian Johnson to our coaching staff is a huge positive for our program," Whittingham said.

Johnson went 26-7 in his three-year career as Utah's starting quarterback and led the Utes to a perfect season in 2008.

"It's a wonderful opportunity and I'm extremely excited," he said. "It definitely means a lot to me to have coach Whitt offer me this position."

Johnson had a brief stint with New York in the United Football League before he was cut. He said he always hoped to be a coach when his playing days were done.

"I just had no idea when I was going to be done playing," he said. "The thing I wanted to be sure is I had it all out of my system and I wanted to make sure I didn't have any regrets on that end. This is a new chapter in my life and a great opportunity."