Johnson not in yet as Sea Kings’ football head man

Chad Johnson, the favorite to take over the Corona del Mar High football coaching job, shot down reports Wednesday that the Sea Kings made a hire, saying that he hasn’t signed any paperwork to become the school’s next coach.

Johnson, a Trabuco Hills offensive coordinator, said CdM does not have a credentialed history teaching job open for him, further delaying the filling of a coaching position vacant since December, when former Coach Dick Freeman said he was fired after going 67-69-2 in 12-plus seasons.

“I’m really interested and excited,” said the 28-year-old Johnson. “But unless you’re independently wealthy, which I’m not, I can’t survive without a teaching job.”

Johnson, who’s never been a varsity head coach, said the Newport-Mesa Unified School District is still checking out his references. He said that he will learn more Saturday as to whether the district can offer him a teaching job at CdM.

The two other candidates that interviewed last week for the football job were Erik Terry, an offensive coordinator at Irvine High, and a coach from the state of Colorado, said a source at CdM speaking on the condition of anonymity.

Johnson helped Trabuco Hills (12-2) to a CIF Southern Section Southwest Division runner-up finish and a Sea View League championship last season. He’s a 1997 El Toro graduate and former center, who went on to become an honorable mention All-American kicker at Hofstra University.

“He’s been a quality assistant [the last seven years],” said Trabuco Hills Coach Jason Negro, who has had Johnson on his staff the last five seasons, working the last two as an offensive coordinator and three years before with the tight ends, special teams and offensive line. “He’s ready to take that next step of becoming a head coach.”

— David Carrillo Peñaloza