EIU Hires New Running Backs Coach

CHARLESTON, Ill – Eastern Illinois head football coach Adam Cushing has announced the addition of Omar Young as the Panthers new running backs coach as the first-year head coach will have his team open spring practice on March 19.

Young joins the Panthers squad with an extensive background coaching at both the NFL and Power 5 Conference level.  He was on the staff with the Green Bay Packers the last two years working as an offensive quality control coach under head coach Mike McCarthy.  Young worked with wide receivers in 2017 and running backs in 2018.  In 2018 he represented the Packers at the NFL Combine leading and assisting with running back drills.

Young also worked as the running backs coach for the East-West Shrine Game during January of 2018 assisting with on-field drills, practice scripts and the game plan.  During the 2015 season he worked as an offensive assistant coach with the Cleveland Browns working with the running backs.  He ran the Rookie Mini-Camp running back meetings while teaching the offensive system to all rookies, in-season free agents and practice squad running backs.

Young had two stints at different Power 5 programs working in both the SEC and Pac-12 Conferences.  He was an offensive analyst for running backs at South Carolina during the 2016 season and worked two seasons at Colorado as the director of quality control for special teams and defense during the 2013 and 2014 seasons.

He began his coaching career as the wide receivers coach at De Anza College in California helping the program win the 2009 Southern Division Bowl Championship.  He then worked as the special teams coordinator and secondary coach at Minnesota State Moorhead during the 2010 season with his kickoff coverage team ranking seventh in the NCAA Division II ranks.  He was a special teams graduate assistant at San Jose State for the 2012 and 2013 seasons coaching a Ray Guy Award candidate and Lou Groza Award semifinalist.  He helped coach San Jose State to a win in the 2013 Military Bowl.

Following graduation from college Young gained scouting experience working as an intern in the player personnel departments for the Oakland Raiders and San Jose SaberCats of the Arena Football League.

Young played defensive back for two seasons at Willamette University in Oregon before finishing his bachelor’s degree at Savannah State in 2005.  While at Savannah State he worked as a student assistant coach with the football program.  He holds a master’s degree from the University of San Francisco (2008).