Grant Olson
| Current position | |
|---|---|
| Title | Defensive coordinator / Linebackers coach |
| Team | North Dakota State |
| Conference | MVFC |
| Biographical details | |
| Alma mater | North Dakota State University (B.S. 2014) |
| Playing career | |
| 2010–2013 | North Dakota State |
| Position(s) | Linebacker |
| Coaching career (HC unless noted) | |
| 2014 | North Dakota State (Student Asst.) |
| 2015–2016 | Wyoming (GA) |
| 2017–2018 | Indiana State (LB) |
| 2019–2022 | North Dakota State (LB) |
| 2023 | North Dakota State (STC/LB) |
| 2024–present | North Dakota State (DC/LB) |
| Accomplishments and honors | |
| Championships | |
| 3× NCAA Division I FCS (2011, 2012, 2013) (player) 4× NCAA Division I FCS (2019, 2021, other seasons) (coach) | |
Grant Olson is an American football coach and former player who is currently the defensive coordinator and linebackers coach for the North Dakota State Bison. A former All-America linebacker for the Bison, Olson has been a part of seven FCS national championships at North Dakota State—three as a player and four as a coach.
Coaching career
Early career
Following his playing career, Olson began coaching as a student assistant at North Dakota State University in 2014 under linebackers coach Matt Entz. He then spent two seasons (2015–2016) as a graduate assistant at the University of Wyoming under head coach Craig Bohl.
Olson joined Indiana State University as the linebackers coach for the 2017 and 2018 seasons. He played a key role in helping turn around the Sycamores program from an 0–11 season to a 7–4 record in 2018. During his tenure, he coached two all-conference linebackers, Jonas Griffith and Katrell Moss.[1]
North Dakota State
Olson returned to North Dakota State in 2019 as the Bison’s linebackers coach. He was promoted to special teams coordinator in 2023 and became the defensive coordinator in 2024 under new head coach Tim Polasek.
During his time on staff, North Dakota State has remained among the most dominant defenses in the FCS. The Bison led the nation in scoring defense in 2019 and 2021, allowing just 12.3 and 11.1 points per game, respectively.[1]
Olson coached multiple All-Americans during his tenure, including Jabril Cox, James Kaczor, Logan Kopp —a finalist for the 2023 Buck Buchanan Award—and Academic All-American Jackson Hankey. All-conference linebacker Jasir Cox also thrived under his direction.[1]
Playing career
Olson was a standout linebacker at North Dakota State from 2010 to 2013, helping the Bison win three consecutive FCS national championships. He earned Associated Press All-America honors in 2013 and still holds the school record for most tackles in a single game with 29, set during a 2012 playoff win over Wofford College.[1]
Personal life
Olson graduated from NDSU in 2014 with a degree in industrial engineering and management. He is married to former LPGA Tour golfer Amy Anderson Olson, who was a four-time NCAA qualifier and Summit League Golfer of the Year at North Dakota State.[1]
References
External links
This article "Grant Olson" is from Wikipedia. The list of its authors can be seen in its historical and/or the page Edithistory:Grant Olson. Articles copied from Draft Namespace on Wikipedia could be seen on the Draft Namespace of Wikipedia and not main one.
