The University of Minnesota Crookston football program announced the additions of Patrick Johnson, Jr., and Gabriel Rodriguez-Mutton to the football staff. Johnson will be an assistant coach and work with the cornerbacks and special teams, while Rodriguez is a volunteer assistant, helping with the running backs, special teams, and strength and conditioning.
Johnson comes to the Golden Eagles from Nicolet High School in Milwaukee, Wis. He was the offensive coordinator for Nicolet High School for two seasons and also worked in the special education department from 2016-18. Prior to his 
appointment at Nicolet High School, Johnson worked as the wide receivers coach from 2015-16 at Lakeland University, an NCAA Division III institution in Plymouth, Wis. At Lakeland, Johnson helped coach three all-conference wide receivers with Michael Esiobu and Kezlow Smith earning first team honors in 2015. Smith earned first-team accolades again in 2016, with Dezmen Morse earning honorable mention selection in 2015 and 2016.
Prior to entering the coaching ranks, Johnson was an acclaimed player for the Lakeland Muskies. He was a four-year starter at cornerback, earning All-Northern Athletics Collegiate Conference (NACC) honors. He was third in the conference in interceptions in 2014. Johnson is originally from Pontiac, Mich., where he was an all-conference selection at Pontiac H.S. He earned his bachelor’s degree from Lakeland University.
“Patrick has done a great job this fall working with the cornerbacks,” said Head Coach Mark Dufner. “He has stressed technique and fundamentals; in addition, he has been able to develop a good rapport with the players. He has also provided his expertise with our special teams units.”
Rodriguez-Mutton is also employed as a technical recruiter for OnDeck Recruiting, an employment search service in Halstad, Minn. He previously worked as a sourcing specialist and assistant recruiter for Volt Workforce Solutions, and prior
to that was a relationship manager at Volt Consulting Group. Rodriguez-Mutton brings previous coaching experience as he served as an intern and assistant offensive line coach at Hamline University in St. Paul, Minn., during the 2018 season. Rodriguez-Mutton assisted in coaching the offensive line, preparing practice plans, and broke down opponent film in the Hudl software.
Rodriguez-Mutton, a native of Tucson, Ariz., had an acclaimed career as a player at Hamline. He was a four-year letter winner and three-year starter on the offensive line for the Pipers. He helped Hamline to a 5-5 mark during his junior season in 2016. As a sophomore, he helped Hamline to over 350 yards of offense per game.
During his time at Hamline, he also served as a front desk receptionist for Hamline athletics. Rodriguez-Mutton earned his Bachelor’s degree in Business Management from Hamline in 2018.
“Gabe has been a nice addition to the staff,” Dufner said. “He has worked with our running backs in addition to helping with our special teams. Gabe has also been willing to help with our strength and conditioning program.”
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