Football
- Title:
- Assistant Athletic Director-Football Operations
- Email:
- jolson18@kent.edu
- Phone:
- 330-672-3350
Jake Olson joined Kent State in July of 2019 as the Director of Football Operations. After serving as the Chief of Staff at Yale for the 2017 and 2018 seasons, he reconnects with members of the staff he previously worked with at Syracuse and Eastern Illinois.
Olson oversaw football operations during the greatest season of Kent State football history. The Golden Flashes earned their first bowl win in program history with a 51-41 win in the Tropical Smoothie Cafe Frisco Bowl.
During his time with the Bulldogs, he handled budget management, team travel, meals and created the team calendar. Olson was also the liaison for the team with the rest of the university, oversaw the football support staff, directed the Eli Football Camp and coordinated internships and professional development opportunities for student-athletes. He served as a liaison between parents, Yale alumni and the football program.
He was with the Bulldogs for the 2016 season as an operations assistant, a stint that was bookended by a pair of roles with the Syracuse Orange football team. As an intern in upstate New York, he helped coordinate camp travel for coaches and assisted in organizing Syracuse's summer camp series. He also assisted with the team’s operations and recruiting while working with the director of operations in the management of team logistics, including helping organize the daily schedules of student-athletes, coaches and staff.
A Morris, Ill., native, Olson attended Eastern Illinois University. He graduated in 2016 with a bachelor's degree in Kinesiology and sports studies, and a minor in business administration. Jake married his wife Emily in May of 2021.
