Mickey Joseph Season 2024
Mickey Joseph, a Louisiana high school football legend with strong ties to New Orleans, enters his fourth season as LSU’s wide receivers coach in 2020. Johnson also serves as assistant head coach for the Tigers, a position he was elevated to in February of 2020.
Joseph has over 20 years of coaching experience as well as four years as a quarterback at Nebraska under Tom Osborne.
Joseph was responsible for putting the best group of receivers in SEC history on the field in 2019 as LSU’s three starters – Ja’Marr Chase, Justin Jefferson and Terrace Marshall – combined for 241 receptions for 3,991 yards and 51 touchdowns. Overall, LSU’s offense set numerous SEC records in 2019, including passing yards (6,024), passing TDs (61) and total offense (568.4).
Chase won the Biletnikoff Award as the nation’s top receiver as well as being a unanimous All-America selection after setting SEC records for receiving yards (1,780) and TDs (20). Jefferson set the LSU record with 111 receptions to go with 1,540 yards and 18 TDs, while Marshall caught 46 passes for 671 yards and 13 scores.
Chase and Marshall both return in 2020, while Jefferson is expected to be a first round NFL Draft pick in 2020. Chase is the first player in school history to eclipse the 2,000-yard mark in receiving yards in only two years. Chase goes into 2020 with 107 receptions for 2,093 yards and 23 TDs.
In 2018, Joseph took a young and unproven group of receivers at the beginning of the year and developed them into a dependable, playmaking unit by seasons end. Jefferson, who had never caught a collegiate pass prior to 2018, led the Tigers with 54 catches for 875 yards and six TDs. Jefferson ranked in the top 10 in the SEC in receiving yards (No. 6 at 875), yards per game (No. 8 at 67.3), and receptions (No. 10 at 54).
LSU’s 2018 wide receiver corps featured Jefferson, three juniors who have previously combined for only 13 starts prior to last year, and two talented true freshmen in Chase and Marshall.
In his first year at LSU, Joseph helped groom wide receiver DJ Chark into an explosive playmaker as he ranked among the leaders in the SEC in yards per catch (21.9) and yards per game (67.2). Chark earned second team All-SEC honors after hauling in 40 passes for 874 yards and three scores. He doubled as a threat in the punt return game, leading the SEC in punt return TDs (2) and finishing second in the league in punt return yards (190) and average (10.6). His 75-yard punt return for a TD against Auburn helped the Tigers overcome a 20-point first half deficit to win, 27-23, in what was the largest SEC comeback for LSU in Tiger Stadium history.
Chark went on to become a second round draft pick (No. 61 overall) of the Jacksonville Jaguars. Chark earned a spot in the Pro Bowl following his second season in the NFL in 2019.
Another of Joseph’s LSU products was that of Russell Gage, a seldom-used wide receiver until Orgeron took over the squad in September of 2016. Under Orgeron and Joseph, Gage flourished as a dynamic playmaker in both the passing and running game as well as making an impact on special teams. Gage developed so much under Joseph that he was drafted in the sixth round of the 2018 NFL Draft by the Atlanta Falcons.
Joseph joined the LSU staff after serving as running backs coach at Louisiana Tech in 2016. In his one year in Ruston, Joseph helped the Bulldogs to a 9-5 overall mark and a 48-45 win over 25th-ranked Navy in the Armed Forces Bowl.
The Bulldogs ranked No. 2 in the nation in scoring in 2016, averaging 44.3 points per game. Tech averaged 514.9 total yards game, which included 363.4 passing and 151.6 on the ground.
Prior to Louisiana Tech, Joseph helped turn around a Grambling State team that went 1-11 prior to his arrival to winning 16 games over the next two years. The Tigers posted a 7-5 mark in 2014 and followed that with a 9-3 overall mark and an appearance in the SWAC Championship Game. In 2015, Joseph’s receivers totaled 2,250 receiving yards and 25 touchdowns as Grambling’s scoring offense ranked fourth and passing offense ranked 21st among all FCS programs nationally.
Joseph was special teams coordinator and wide receivers coach at Alcorn State in 2013, helping the Braves to a 9-3 overall mark, the most wins for the school in 30 years. While at Alcorn, Joseph guided a receiving corps that caught for 2,728 yards and 23 touchdowns with an average gain of 13.0 yards per reception.
Joseph spent six years at Langston University from 2008-13, which included two years as the head coach. Joseph led Langston to a 7-3 mark in his first season as head coach in 2011. He went 13-7 overall as the head coach at Langston.
Joseph got his first collegiate coaching job at Wayne State College in Nebraska in 1997, which he followed with a season at his high school alma mater Archbishop Shaw High School in New Orleans in 1998. From there, Joseph served as a graduate assistant at Tulane in 1999 and then coached receivers at Alabama State in 2000.
He coached quarterbacks at Nicholls State for three years (2001-03) and then spent two seasons as the running backs coach at Central Oklahoma (2004-05).
Before his tenure at Langston, Joseph served as the head football coach and Director of Athletics for Desire Street Academy, a private school in the New Orleans’ Ninth Ward area. His main goal was to help get young kids out of the underprivileged area to improve their overall quality of life through sports. At the time of Hurricane Katrina, Joseph was responsible of moving the private school to Florida along with relocating the student- athletes. That year, the team had a record of 1-3, however, in 2008 Joseph turned the team around to a 10-3 record. Seven out of 25 players were able to sign with NCAA Division I programs.
During the summer of 2012 he also spent time with Houston Texans as part of an NFL minority internship. While in Houston, Joseph worked with the running backs and all aspects of the special teams units.
Joseph played quarterback at Nebraska from 1988-91. As a junior Joseph led the Cornhuskers to a 9-3 overall mark after accounting for 21 touchdowns (11 rushing, 10 passing). In his four years at Nebraska, the Cornhuskers posted a 39-9-1 overall mark and appeared in the Orange Bowl twice, the Citrus Bowl and the Fiesta Bowl.
In four years with the Cornhuskers, Joseph played in 34 regular season games and accounted for 30 touchdowns (16 rushing, 14 passing). His best season came as a junior in 1990 when he played in all 12 games, throwing for 624 yards and 11 touchdowns to go along with 554 rushing yards and 10 TDs.
Joseph was the top recruit coming out of Archbishop Shaw High School in Marrero when he was recruited to the University of Nebraska. In 1987, he was awarded Gatorade Player of the Year and First-Team Parade All-American. The standout football player was also a two-time All-State MVP and three-time All-District MVP.
Joseph, who is married to Priscilla Arzaga, has six children – Jacob, Zachary, Makiyah, Maya, Malania, and Mickey Reign.
THE JOSEPH FILE
Year at LSU: Third (appointed February 9, 2017)
Birthdate: March 5, 1968
Hometown: New Orleans, La.
Wife: Priscilla Arzaga Joseph
Children: Jacob, Zachary, Makiyah, Maya, Malania
High School: Archbishop Shaw
Alma Mater: Nebraska (1993)
COACHING EXPERIENCE
1995-96 Omaha (Neb.) North High School (quarterbacks/wide receivers)
1997 Wayne State College (run game coordinator)
1998 Archbishop Shaw High School (quarterbacks)
1999 Tulane (graduate assistant)
2000 Alabama State (wide receivers)
2001-03 Nicholls State (quarterbacks)
2004-05 Central Oklahoma (running backs)
2006-08 Desire Street (New Orleans) Academy (head coach)
2008-12 Langston University (assistant coach, 2008-10; head coach 2011-12)
2013 Alcorn State (wide receivers/special teams coordinator/assistant head coach)
2014-15 Grambling State (wide receivers/special teams coordinator)
2016 Louisiana Tech (running backs)
2017-20 LSU (wide receivers 2017-19; Assistant Head Coach 2020-)
BOWL EXPERIENCE
As a player
Season Bowl Team Opponent Results
1988 Orange Nebraska Miami (Fla.) L, 23-2
1989 Fiesta Nebraska Florida State L, 41-17
1990 Citrus Nebraska Georgia Tech L, 45-21
1991 Orange Nebraska Miami (Fla.) L, 22-0
As a coach
Season Bowl Team Opponent Results
2016 Armed Forces Louisiana Tech Navy W, 48-45
2017 Citrus LSU Notre Dame L, 21-17
2018 Fiesta LSU UCF W, 40-32
2019 Chick-fil-A Peach LSU Oklahoma 63-28
2019 CFP National Championship LSU Clemson 42-25