Aug 9, 2025; Iowa running backs coach Omar Young looks on during the Hawkeyes Kids Day NCAA football open practice at Kinnick Stadium in Iowa City, Iowa. Mandatory Credit: Joseph Cress for the Des Moines Register Joseph Cress/For the Register / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

Kubiak Makes Most Important Hire for Raiders' Ashton Jeanty

Originally posted on Las Vegas Raiders on SI
By Michael Canelo | Last updated Feb 20, 2026 7:00 AM ET

A big thing that new Raiders head coach Klint Kubiak wants to do is run the ball. Running the ball is a whole part of Kubiak's offense. His run first mindset is one of the bread and butters of Kubiak's offense. Last season, the Raiders' run game was not good, but they are looking to change that with the new regime.

They have a good running back in Ashton Jeanty, and now they have hired Omar Young coming in as their new running backs coach.

Per Raiders:

Omar Young has been named running backs coach of the Las Vegas Raiders, the club announced Thursday.

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Young brings 17 years of coaching experience on the to the Raiders, including six seasons at the NFL level with the New England Patriots (2024), Chicago Bears (2022-23), Green Bay Packers (2017-18) and Cleveland Browns (2015), along with nine seasons coaching at the collegiate level.

Last season, Young coached running backs at the University of Iowa, where he was part of a Hawkeye team that won nine games, culminating in a 34-27 triumph over No. 14 Vanderbilt in the ReliaQuest Bowl, finishing the season ranked No. 17 nationally. Under Young, Iowa’s offense outrushed its opponents in 10 of 13 games, averaging 176.9 rushing yards per game and posted 200+ rushing yards five times in 2025.

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Before his time with Iowa, Young spent the 2024 season as an offensive coaching assistant with the New England Patriots. In his lone season with the 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).

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.

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Young spent three seasons at Eastern Illinois University (2019-21), where he coached running backs the running backs for three seasons, while adding co-special teams coordinator duties in 2020-21. Two of his running backs finished in the top 10 in rushing in the Ohio Valley Conference in 2021, while his special teams unit ranked second in kick return defense, ninth in blocked kicks, 22nd in punt returns and 23rd in kick returns in 2020.

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.