Justin Heacock is in his first season as an assistant coach for the Youngstown State football program. He serves as running backs coach for the Penguins.
Prior to joining the YSU staff in February 2025, he spent three seasons as a graduate assistant at Toledo. He worked primarily with the offense during his tenure. In 2024, the Rockets posted an 8-5 record reaching the GameAbove Sports Bowl in Detroit. UT won a six-overtime 48-46 contest against Pittsburgh to cap of the season. Early in the campaign, the Rockets beat Mississippi 41-17.
Heacock played quarterback at Washington & Jefferson College from 2018-21. As a senior he threw for 1,826 yards and 20 touchdowns. Heacock, who earned CoSIDA Academic All-District honors as a senior, graduated from Washington & Jefferson in 2022 with a degree in business.
A native of New Concord, Ohio, he played high school football at John Glenn High School. He was a multi-sport athlete playing football, basketball and baseball. All those teams won district titles.
Heacock comes from an outstanding coaching family.Â
His father, Jeff, was the head coach at Muskingum from 1991-2006 and was a two-time OAC Coach of the Year. His uncle, Jon, who is the defensive coordinator at Iowa State, was the Head Coach of the Penguins from 2001-2009, and twice was named the MVFC Coach of the Year. His uncle, Jim, was the head coach at Illinois State from 1988-95 and was a long-time assistant coach at Ohio State (1996-2011) who won the Broyles Award in 2007.
