CHICAGO – Roosevelt football head coach Billy McKeon announced the addition of Ryan Olson to the offensive staff Tuesday.
Olson will serve as the Lakers' co-offensive coordinator and quarterbacks coach after arriving from Great Lakes Intercollegiate Athletic Conference rival Grand Valley State, where he worked for six seasons. He spent the last three coaching wide receivers at Grand Valley State and spent the 2021 and 2022 seasons as the running backs coach. This past season, he coached two receivers to first-team All-GLIAC honors and mentored seven total All-GLIAC picks at receiver during his time at Grand Valley State.
"We couldn't be more excited to add Ryan Olson to our staff as our quarterbacks coach and co-offensive coordinator," McKeon said. "His familiarity with the conference is a major asset, but what stood out most throughout the interview process was his fit with our staff and our culture. We have a close, connected staff, and Ryan aligns seamlessly with that. His emphasis on relationship building directly reflects one of our program's pillars, connection."
Prior to going to Grand Valley State, Olson was the offensive coordinator at Quincy in 2019 and spent 2018 as a graduate assistant at Eastern Michigan. He began his coaching career at Minnesota State Mankato where he worked for three seasons as the wide receivers coach. In Mankato, Olson mentored Shane Zylstra, who was the Northern Sun's Offensive Player of the Year in 2017 and a regional finalist for the Harlon Hill Award.
Olson was a dual-sport athlete at Simpson College where he excelled as a wide receiver on the football team and a guard on the basketball team. In his senior season, Olson helped lead the Storm to a 7-3 record, the best mark during his four years at Simpson.
"Coach Olson has gained valuable experience working within several successful Division II programs and learning from proven offensive coordinators, and we're excited for him to bring that knowledge to our offense," McKeon said. "Coach Olson is detailed in his teaching and intentional with quarterback fundamentals, but what truly separates him is his ability to build strong relationships within the room. He develops trust with his players, which allows him to coach them hard while supporting their growth both on and off the field. Our quarterbacks will benefit from his structured approach to development and the personal connection he brings to the position."
Olson will share offensive coordinator duties with longtime Roosevelt staffer C.J. Davis, who will enter his eighth season with the Lakers in 2026. Davis has worked with almost every facet of the offense during his time at Roosevelt, but has mainly been the team's offensive line coach the last six years.
Davis will continue to serve as the Associate Head Coach and will also help spearhead the program's recruiting efforts.
"We are also excited to announce that Coach C.J. Davis will be elevated to Co-Offensive Coordinator," McKeon said. "His work ethic and organizational skills have already had a significant impact on our program, and we have no doubt that, in conjunction with Coach Ryan Olson, our offense will take a major step forward in 2026. C.J. is creative, energetic, and in many ways the heartbeat of our program is on a daily basis. We couldn't be more excited about his continued growth and leadership within our staff."
