University of Idaho Athletics

Yelk comes to Idaho from Temple University where he coached Nickels during the 2019 season and safeties in 2020 and 2021. He coached Sam Franklin for his senior season that included 68 tackles and 7.5 TFLs. Franklin was signed by the Carolina Panthers as an undrafted free agent and just finished his second season on the Panthers' active roster.
 
Prior to his time at Temple, Yelk coached one season at Northern Illinois. He coached second-team All-MAC honoree Mykelti Williams and helped coach the defense to a dominant performance. The Huskies led the MAC in scoring defense and second in total defense.
 
He was the Co-Defensive Coordinator and safeties coach at South Dakota in 2016 and 2017. In 2017, South Dakota ranked first in the Missouri Valley Football Conference and 12th nationally in both sacks and tackles for loss. The previous year, the Coyotes led the MVFC in takeaways.  Five defensive players collected All-MVFC honors during his tenure. In Yelk's second season, USD went 8-5, including a win over Bowling Green, and advanced to the second round of the FCS Playoffs.
 
Yelk coached defensive backs and special teams at Western Illinois in 2013-14 before being named co-defensive coordinator in 2015. In his final season with the Leathernecks, WIU made the FCS playoffs for the first time since 2010 and led the MVFC in both takeaways and interceptions. WIU ranked 11th nationally in turnovers and seventh in interceptions in Yelk's season as the co-coordinator and intercepted a total of 35 passes in his three seasons in Macomb. 
 
Yelk began his coaching career at his alma mater, Minnesota-Duluth, in 2009. He played with and coached with new Vandal Defensive Coordinator Rob Aurich.
 
"I've coached against Coach Yelk as a player and a coach and he has a very close relationship with coach Aurich, just like I wanted to be comfortable with our offensive coaching staff, I wanted Rob to have strong relationships with his defensive staff. Coach Yelk is very respected across the coaching world and has already been pushed out of his comfort zone in recruiting when he was at Temple so that will help him make the transition here. He is a great "Idea" guy that will help our defense in the pass game. He is a great leader and has a great family and we are excited to welcome the Yelks to Moscow."
 
At his first coaching job, Yelk became the only Bulldog to win a National Championship as a player and coach when the Bulldogs claimed the 2010 NCAA Division II title in his second season as an assistant coach at Minnesota-Duluth. Overall, he spent four years as defensive backs coach at his alma mater, with UMD qualifying for the NCAA Playoffs each year. In addition to the 2010 undefeated season, UMD twice advanced to the quarterfinals, while two players were named All-Americans, LB Kiel Fechtelkotter and RB Isaac Odim, and seven earned all-region honors during his tenure.  He also served as a special teams coordinator in 2012. 
 
During his playing career, Yelk was an All-American defensive back for three different organizations as a senior. He ended his tenure as Minnesota-Duluth's career leader in tackles after leading the team in tackles in three seasons, including as a freshman, and during UMD's 2008 undefeated championship season. Yelk was twice named first-team all-NSIC/NCC.  Following his senior year, he was selected to play in the 2008 Cactus Bowl, an all-star game for Division II seniors.
 
Yelk earned a bachelor's degree in exercise science in 2008, and a master's of education from UMD in 2012. He and his wife, Elyce, have two daughters, Leighton and Penelope.