By Joe Scalzo
scalzo@vindy.com
YOUNGSTOWN
In 2008, then-Youngstown State University head football coach Jon Heacock recruited 14 true freshmen in his second-to-last recruiting class.
Had they all redshirted, this would be their final season.
Tackle D.J. Main is the only one left and has been since October when the other remaining member of that class, linebacker Deonta Tate, was dismissed from the team.
“I do consider it an honor to be the last one of my class,” Main said. “[But] I wouldn’t consider myself the most senior member of the program.
“We have some new guys that are seniors, maybe not fifth-year seniors, and they’ve definitely stepped up and taken the role of senior just like myself.”
The 2008 class was a weak one, although junior college transfer Donald Jones finished as one of the program’s best receivers and quarterback Brandon Summers, a transfer from Toledo, was a two-year starter.
Heacock’s 2009 class was better, as five of the 14 remain, including quarterback Kurt Hess and running back Jamaine Cook — arguably the two best players on the team. (The others are punter Nick Liste, running back Torrian Pace and tight end Carson Sharbaugh.) Later that summer, left tackle Andrew Radakovich transferred to YSU from Penn State.
Those seven players are the only ones, out of 94 players on the roster, that Eric Wolford hasn’t recruited since arriving in December 2009. The turnover has made for a bit of a rocky transition at times — when asked about the difference between the staffs, Main judiciously said, “Every coach has their way of doing things” — but Wolford felt it was important to establish his culture, even if it meant losing talented players.
“We’ve lost a lot of guys,” Radakovich said. “And it’s been weird but it’s also been good to get to know a bunch of new people.
“We’ve brought a lot of quality guys and got rid of some guys that didn’t do what they [the new coaches] wanted to do. It’s necessary.”
The lack of redshirt seniors isn’t necessarily a bad thing — last year’s FCS champion, North Dakota State, had just two — but Wolford hopes the program is at a point where he can redshirt the majority of incoming freshmen rather than rely on them to contribute immediately.
YSU played 21 freshmen last season and 13 in 2010.
“We went through a tremendous transition here and it was difficult,” Wolford said. “Difficult for the fans and difficult for the community. But I felt strongly that it had to take place.
“We had to have a foundation that’s going to be here for awhile so we can sustain success.”
YSU brought 46 new players to camp last season — there’s 27 this year, including 17 true freshmen that signed in February — and while Wolford said a team needs an influx of talent last year, he also knows championship programs rely on juniors and seniors.
“The older players have got to be able to lead the younger players,” he said. “That’s why this is the first year I had player representatives [who led summer workouts]. This is the first time since I’ve been here that I felt like we had potentially one or two guys at every position that would be voted on by their peers to lead that group.
“So far, the indications are they’ve been successful.”
YSU’s changes over the past two years haven’t just been on the roster. The Penguins have overhauled their facilities — there’s a new locker room, new offices and classrooms, new turf at Stambaugh Stadium and, of course, a new indoor facility — and added an Under Armour sponsorship. They’ve also increased the budget for the coaching staff and for recruiting.
“I remember coming here and the locker room wasn’t done, this indoor facility was an old soccer field we used to practice on, the jerseys and sponsors were different,” Main said. “Everything has completely changed 180 degrees for the better.”
This year’s team motto is “No Excuses” and that applies not just to the players, but everyone involved in the program. Anything short of the postseason would be a disappointment.
“The expectations here are the same every year but the difference is, we don’t have any excuses this year,” Main said. “We have depth, we have players, we have leaders, we have coaches, we have everything we need.
“It’s just up to us now.”
