Hawkeye Beacon can confirm that Iowa is expected to hire Omar Young as its next running backs coach. The news was first reported by Chad Leistikow of The Des Moines Register, although premium subscribers knew Young was one of three finalists for the position.
Young replaces Ladell Betts, who led the group since 2021 and left for the same position with the New York Giants.
Young joins the Iowa coaching staff after serving as an offensive assistant with the New England Patriots last season. He was there for just one year season under Jerod Mayo, who was fired after a 4-13 season.
Prior to taking the position with the Patriots, Young worked with the Chicago Bears as an offensive quality control coach in 2022 and as teams wide receivers coach and assistant quarterbacks coach in 2023.
Before leaving for the NFL, Young spent three years (2019-2021) on staff at FCS Eastern Illinois as the team's running backs coach, and he served as co-special teams coordinator in 2020 and 2021. He coached freshman All-American and All-Conference running back Jaelin Benefield in 2019, who had 125 carries for 402 yards and five touchdowns along with 39 receptions for 304 yards and two scores.
Fans of both the Northern Iowa as well as Iowa know of Harrison Bey-Buie, who Young coached in his final season at EIU. Bey-Buie was named to the OVC All-Newcomer team after leading the team in rushing with 132 carries for 479 yards and four scores on the ground. Bey-Buie transferred to UNI after Young left for Chicago.
Prior to his stop in Charleston, Illinois, Young worked as an offensive quality control coach with the Packers, coaching with receivers in 2017 and running backs in 2018.
Along with a stop in Cleveland to serve as an offensive assistant with the Browns in 2015, Young has served in a variety of coaching positions in his career.
He worked as a player personnel intern with the San Jose SaberCats of the Arena Football League in 2007 and took the same position with the Oakland Raiders in 2008. Young then served as an assistant coach at the collegiate level at De Anza College in California (2009), Minnesota State (2010), San Jose State (2011-12) and Colorado (2013-14). He also stepped in as an offensive analyst with South Carolina in 2016.
As a player, Young was a defensive back for two years at Willamette University in Oregon. A native of Oakland, California, Young earned a bachelor's degree from Savannah State in 2005 and a master's degree from the University of San Francisco in 2008.
