Seasoned play caller Jake Olsen was named Cornell’s offensive coordinator and quarterbacks coach on Curt Ritchie’s football staff in January 2026.
Olsen arrived on the Hilltop after 12 seasons at Loras College as associate head coach, offensive coordinator and recruiting coordinator. The Osage, Iowa native helped the Duhawks establish more than 50 offensive school records, in addition to four American Rivers Conference marks while in Dubuque.
“I’m thankful for the opportunity to be a part of the Ram family,” said Olsen, a 2003 Wartburg College graduate who brings 23 years of collegiate coaching experience. “The academics at Cornell combined with the athletic experience, and the family feel of the community to top it off – this place is the total package.
“I’m excited to get going on the football side of things. I have a lot of respect for Coach Ritchie, what he’s accomplished for so long, and look forward to working with him and the staff.”
Olsen quickly revived Loras’ offense into one of the nation’s best in Division III, after inheriting a unit that ranked last statistically the season before his arrival. He mentored 26 all-conference offensive performers, including five quarterbacks that appear in the school-record book.
In 2015, Loras’ offense ranked No. 2 nationally in passing yards (369.0 ypg) and No. 9 in total yards (507.0 ypg). The Duhawks finished in the top half of the A-R-C in scoring eight of the past 10 seasons.
Olsen was also instrumental in recruiting at Loras with an average class size of 50 football student-athletes over 11 years.
“As a high school coach, I saw Jake’s work in the state, the relationships he’s built and his great recruiting efforts,” Ritchie said. “Jake brings valuable experience in Iowa and has a lot of football left. We’re excited to get him here. This is perfect timing before spring ball begins.”
Olsen had a successful three-year coaching stint at the University of Dubuque, the final two as offensive coordinator. In his initial 2011 campaign, the Spartans won the Iowa Conference championship and fielded the NCAA Division III Player of the Year (Mike Zwiefel). In 2012, Dubuque landed the IIAC Player of the Year for the second consecutive season. Dubuque broke 27 school records under Olsen’s guidance from 2011-13.
Olsen was assistant head coach, passing game coordinator and quarterbacks coach at NAIA’s Southern Oregon University from 2006-10. The program landed three all-Americans.
Olsen began his coaching career as a graduate assistant at Rockford College, where he earned his master’s degree in arts of teaching in 2006.
Olsen was a standout student-athlete at Wartburg as a multiple-time all-conference performer in both football and basketball. He played on three conference championship teams for the Knights, two in football.
Olsen is a member of the University of Dubuque (2011 football team), Wartburg College and Osage High School Hall of Fame.
