Omar Young enters his first season as running backs coach with the Las Vegas Raiders in 2026. He brings 17 years of coaching experience to the post and joins the Silver and Black after spending the past season with the University of Iowa.

Omar Young enters his first season as running backs coach with the Las Vegas Raiders in 2026. He brings 17 years of coaching experience to the post and joins the Silver and Black after spending the past season with the University of Iowa.

In his lone year with the Hawkeyes, Iowa won nine games and finished the season ranked No. 17 nationally. Iowa outrushed its opponents in 10-of-13 games, averaging 176.9 rushing yards per game. Under Young's guidance, the Hawkeyes eclipsed 200 rushing yards five times and RB Kamari Moulton earned All-Big Ten Honorable Mention after recording 170 carries for 878 yards (5.2 avg.) and five touchdowns.

In 2024, Young spent the season as an offensive coaching assistant with the New England Patriots. New England improved from the 26th ranked rushing offense in 2023 (95.7 rush ypg) to the 13th ranked rushing attack in 2024 (115.8 rush ypg). He also assisted with the tight ends and saw Hunter Henry record 66 receptions and five touchdowns, while Austin Hooper added 45 catches for 476 yards and three TDs.

Prior to his time in New England, Young spent two seasons with the Chicago Bears (2022-23), serving as an assistant quarterbacks and assistant wide receivers coach in 2023 and an offensive quality control coach in 2022. In 2023, Young helped coach WR D.J. Moore to career-bests in receptions (96), receiving yards (1,364) and touchdowns (8). In 2022, Young helped coach an offense that led the league with a franchise-record 3,014 rushing yards while also leading the NFL in yards per rush (5.4) and rushing yards per game (177.3).

Young spent three seasons with Eastern Illinois, where he coached the running backs in 2019 before adding co-special teams coordinator duties from 2020-21. During his time with the Panthers, he mentored freshman RB Harrison Bey-Buie to All-Newcomer Team honors in 2021 after rushing for 479 rush yards (3.6 avg.) and four touchdowns. In 2020, he assisted kick returner Matt Judd as he earned second-team All-OVC honors after returning 12 kickoffs for 298 yards (24.8 avg.). In 2019, freshman RB Jaelin Benefield was named to the All-OVC Newcomer team after rushing for 403 yards and five touchdowns in addition to 39 catches for 304 yards and two touchdowns.

Before returning to the college ranks with EUI, Young spent two seasons (2017-18) as an offensive quality control coach with the Green Bay Packers, working with an offense that rushed for 4.7 yards per attempt over his two seasons with the team, the second-best mark in the league over that span.

In 2018, he assisted the running backs who finished with 1,667 rushing yards on 333 attempts, an average of 5.01 yards per carry, the second-best mark in team history and ranked No. 2 in the league. RB Aaron Jones led the NFL (min. 100 att.) in yards per carry (5.47).

In 2017, Young worked with RBs Jamaal Williams and Jones as they became the first rookie duo in franchise history to both rush for 400-plus yards in a season. He also helped WR Davante Adams finish second in the NFL with 13 receiving touchdowns and seventh with 1,386 receiving yards.

Young served as an offensive analyst at the University of South Carolina in 2016 after his first coaching role in the NFL as an offensive intern with the Cleveland Browns in 2015.

In 2016, he mentored RB Rico Dowdle, who led the Gamecocks with 133 carries for 764 yards and six rushing touchdowns. In 2015, he assisted a Cleveland Browns offense that finished ninth in the NFL in third down percentage (41.9%).

Young's first full-time Division I coaching role came at the University of Colorado, where he spent two seasons (2013-14) as the director of quality control. In 2014, he coached CB Greg Henderson, DT Josh Tupou and K Will Oliver to All-PAC 12 Honorable Mention honors, while P Darragh O'Neill was a third-team selection.

Before his time at Colorado, Young spent two seasons as a special teams graduate assistant at San Jose State (2011-12). He coached K Austin Lopez to Freshman All-America honors and a Lou Groza Award semifinalist status in 2012 after he converted all 17 of his field goal attempts (100 percent) and set a San Jose State single-season scoring record with 105 points. In 2011, P Harrison Waid was named to the Ray Guy Award watch list after averaging 42.0 yards per punt.

In 2010 he served as the secondary coach and special teams coordinator at Minnesota State Moorhead University and in 2009 he was the wide receivers coach at De Anza (Calif.) College. Young helped De Anza win the 2009 Southern Division Bowl Championship and mentored first-team California All-Region honoree WR Kendall Hendon, who recorded 46 catches for 887 yards and 13 touchdowns.

Prior to beginning his coaching career, Young worked as an intern in the personnel departments of the Oakland Raiders and the Arena Football League's San Jose SaberCats during the 2007-08 seasons.

PERSONAL: A native of Oakland, Calif., Young attended Willamette University in Salem, Ore., where played two years as a defensive back...He graduated with a bachelor's degree in history from Savannah State University in 2005 and earned his master's in sport management from the University of San Francisco in 2008...Omar is married to his wife Noёl.